A student of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, he taught Alexander Tcherepnin, Dmitri Shostakovich and Yuri Shaporin[1] at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.
He was the posthumous dedicatee of Shostakovich's Theme and Variations in B-flat major for orchestra, Op.
[2][3] Sokolov's recorded works include his contributions to several collaborative projects of the "Belyayev circle", including the set of character pieces for string quartet known as Les Vendredis as well as a set of variations for piano and orchestra on a Russian theme.
3, also arranged for string orchestra as a serenade; final chorus from Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy's Don Juan, Op.
It is possible that, when Sergei Diaghilev was looking for a composer for The Firebird, Sokolov was considered before Igor Stravinsky was settled on.