He wrote musical settings of Russian Romantic poetry by poets such as Mikhail Lermontov, Fyodor Tyutchev, and Alexander Blok.

Learning to play by ear, he demonstrated such talent and ability that he was accepted into the local orchestra of Russian folk instruments.

Mobilized into the Red Army in 1941, just days after his graduation from the conservatory, Sviridov was sent to a military academy in Ufa, but was discharged by the end of the year due to poor health.

In 1935, Sviridov composed a cycle of lyrical romances based on the poetry of Alexander Pushkin which brought him first critical acclaim.

was selected as the opening theme for the main evening TV news program Vremya (Время, 'time') and became a staple of Soviet life.

He composed songs and romances to the lyrics of Mikhail Lermontov (1938, 1957), Alexander Blok (1941), William Shakespeare (1944–1960), Robert Burns (in Russian translation, 1955).

According to his nephew Alexander Belonenko, who posthumously edited and published Sviridov's personal jottings: [Sviridov's music] is perceived [in Russia] as a sort of natural, or to put it more precisely, co-natural phenomenon, an integral part of the Russian landscape... Not everyone watching ORT will know the name of the composer to the music that accompanies the program Vremya, which has become a symbol of our bustling times.

[2]The "Winter Road" movement that concludes the suite from The Snowstorm was allegedly plagiarized by Tappi Iwase and used as the theme for the popular video game series Metal Gear Solid.