# Who was the Best Russian Composer?



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Wait for the poll


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Shostakovich for me, clearly, with the absent Gubaidulina as second choice. But I like all of the options, and love most of them.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Vladimir Putin (Just ask him.)


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## AfterHours (Mar 27, 2017)

Shostakovich, for sure. I'm pretty sure I'd place him as high as 4 or 5 all time, and at worst 6 (all composers, not just Russian)

Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Brahms or Shostakovich or Schubert


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

I'll add Gubaidulina to those I voted for.
I also really like Borodin, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Schnittke and am rather fond of Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov (need to listen to his operas more).


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Prokofiev by a mile!

An interesting follow up question is: Who has been the greatest Russian composer since Shostakovich? For me it is Gubaidulina, though I think popular opinion on TC would be Schnittke.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Very difficult choice but gone for Tchaikovsky as he composed my favourite "violin concerto"!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Scriabin and lately Khachaturian.


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

Need you ask......


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## Magnum Miserium (Aug 15, 2016)

My general principle is to only vote for one person in polls like this, but this time I voted for two, because it's either Tchaikovsky or Stravinsky but I couldn't tell you which - interestingly, composers who have both everything to do with each other (supreme masters of ballet) and nothing (Tchaikovsky the supreme melodist who is accused of having innovated nothing vs Stravinsky, the innovator par excellence & perennial 2nd example after Beethoven of a great composer who was an indifferent melodist)


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The Bestmeter is still broken--just can't get the parts to repair it properly--but my favorite Russian composer is still Prokofiev, with Rachmaninoff second, much to Proko's chagrin (they had words).


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## Nevum (Nov 28, 2013)

Sostakovich - Schnittke - Scriabin- Rachmaninov

Also added Glazunov. The more I listen the more I like him.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The best Russian composer for me was Tchaikovsky, followed by Shostakovich and Prokofiev, tied for second place.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Too many choices... Though I would have gone for Stravinsky and Prokoviev anyway, I immediately clicked Mussorgsky because he made an original contribution to Russian music that differed from the most of the others.

This was a choice of 'best' composer (whatever that is), but other honourable mentions would have been: Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin, Rach and Schnittke.

Where was Glinka though?


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky for me- all great Russian geniuses.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

eugeneonagain said:


> Too many choices... Though I would have gone for Stravinsky and Prokoviev anyway, I immediately clicked Mussorgsky because he made an original contribution to Russian music that differed from the most of the others.
> 
> This was a choice of 'best' composer (whatever that is), but other honourable mentions would have been: Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin, Rach and Schnittke.
> 
> Where was Glinka though?


Agree (in regards to *Glinka*). He is considered the Father of Russian music (his operas paved the way Russian music was to become). Another glaring omission is *Myaskovsky*, among the giants of Soviet music (and of Soviet symphonism).

That said, *Glazunov* & *Tchaikovsky* (these two compliment each other rather nicely). *Weinberg *and *Boris Tchaikovsky* are worth thinking about also and perhaps even among the giants of the Russian avant garde era, namely *Roslavets* and *Mosolov*.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

If I had to vote for one, it would be Tchaikovsky (not Boris). I decided to vote for my top three so Tchaikovsky is joined by Rimsky-Korsakov and Aram Khachaturian (though is he really Russian?). Perhaps I should have voted for Prokofiev too, but he's in first place at the moment so he does not need my vote. 

I think Tchaikovsky is often judged by his famous ballets and his late symphonies, but some of these aren't even his best works. Tchaikovsky, like Vivaldi, might be looked down upon for writing music that appeals to those dirty casuals. But, anyway, there's so much good, enjoyable stuff from Tchaikovsky that it's hard to ignore his tremendous impact on classical music.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Klassik said:


> If I had to vote for one, it would be Tchaikovsky (not Boris). I decided to vote for my top three so Tchaikovsky is joined by Rimsky-Korsakov and Aram Khachaturian (though is he really Russian?). Perhaps I should have voted for Prokofiev too, but he's in first place at the moment so he does not need my vote.
> 
> I think Tchaikovsky is often judged by his famous ballets and his late symphonies, but some of these aren't even his best works. Tchaikovsky, like Vivaldi, might be looked down upon for writing music that appeals to those dirty casuals. But, anyway, there's so much good, enjoyable stuff from Tchaikovsky that it's hard to ignore his tremendous impact on classical music.


When I hear "Boris", I'm thinking Karloff, not Tchaikovsky!! :lol:


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## manyene (Feb 7, 2015)

On a point of order the title should be 'Best Russian composers' - plural. The multiple choice reference is tucked away at the bottom.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

1. Schnittke
2. Shosty
3. Weinberg
4. Myaskovsky
5. Kabalevsky
6. Ustvolskaya
7. Ippolitov-Ivanov
8. Gubaidulina
9. Popov
10. Shebalin


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

What is clear is that russians has given us a lot of great music. And for all tastes.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Shostakovich and Scriabin. I forgot to vote "other"; my picks would be Myaskovsky, Taneyev and Weinberg.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

No way of determining who the best is, but favorite Russians are Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Borodin. I only wish the latter had created additional wonderfully melodious works.


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

Myaskovsky.

Glazunov for sheer enjoyment.


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Personal favourites - Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Borodin, Prokofiev


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## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

Georgy Sviridov is missing.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

At first thought, Pyotr Ilyich seems to me the quintessential "Russian" composer. Indeed, he wrote the _Little Russian _Symphony. On further thought, though, Mussorgsky gives him a run for the money. I mean, Tchaikovsky also wrote the _Capriccio Italien _and the _Mozartiana Serenade_. Can you imagine the composer of _Boris Godunov_ penning Italianate or Mozartian-styled music?

Of course, Mussorgsky was very continental in some senses, especially early on. He was apparently fluent in German and knew French rather well enough to undertake an opera on a text by Flaubert, which he eventually abandoned. And he is known to have quoted in French. And though as a skilled pianist (his pianist mother was his first piano teacher) he played John Field and Liszt and Beethoven, as a composer he now seems to have preferred Russian texts and themes, and his songs, tone poems, opera and vocal music were largely based upon Russian literary, philosophical, and musical ideas. Too, he seems to have drunk a lot of vodka.

Tchaikovsky is a great Russian composer, but he is also perhaps more universal. Do we know what Russia sounds like by way of Tchaikovsky, or do we better know the human heart through his music? Which composer gives us what Russian _sounds_ like?

Mussorgsky was seldom admired by his peers, receiving criticism for his orchestration, musical ideas (or lack of them), and general ignorance about music, at least music in the way that such as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov knew it. But Korsakov seems more an Orientalist, perhaps, with a penchant towards orchestration rather than Russian-ness.

Shostakovich, great indeed, I perceive as a Soviet composer moreso than a Russian one. Is there a greater Soviet composer than Shosty? I think not. Prokofiev is perhaps more Russian, and he's a wonderful composer. But I think of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich for greatness ahead of Prokofiev.

It seems, too, that Shostakovich and Stravinsky both admired Mussorgsky's music. Could either of those two composers been who they became without the elder Russian's influence?

Tchaikovsky seems quite refined. There's something rough edged to Mussorgsky, and to Shostakovich and Stravinsky, too. Borodin, as well, seems refined to my ears, though I have long listened to his music in the same frame of mind by which I read Chekhov's plays -- as lamentations over the loss of Old Russian with uncertainty and consternation about the future, and the New Russia to come, whatever that may be.

I missed Myaskovsky on that list. I hear his music as "Russian", and there is quite a bit of it. Wonderful stuff. I've long had the 27 symphonies on my regular listening list, and I have heard them all several times each. But Mya is no Tchaik or Shosty ... and certainly not as elemental as Mussorgsky.

I fall short of naming the "best" Russian composer, because ultimately I think such a thing is silliness. My collection includes dozens of Russian (Soviet, pre-Soviet, post-Soviet) composers, and this music ranks high on my list of favorite listens. So I did not vote, and I have little more to offer.

I will add that Tchaikovsky brought me into classical music. But it wasn't because he was Russian, or that his music sounded Russian to me. In fact, it was the _Capriccio Italien _that first captured my ears. And it isn't that that music sounds especially Italian, either. I have long admired the music of Gliere, Myaskovsky, Balakirev, Borodin, Lyadov and others, and lament that several of these composers left too little music. As did Mussorgsky, whose rough hewn music seems very much Russian to my ears. But so does early Stravinsky, though I believe he came to his sound via Mussorgsky. And Stravinsky goes off into the land of "insect music" later on in his career, and I still listen to little Stravinsky beyond the _Rite of Spring_, a true masterwork. The Soviet composers hold a treasured place in my collection, and since the Iron Curtain fell much of the music of Soviet era Russia is now available. But too much of it suffers from Soviet era restrictions, which is probably why we love Shostakovich and the other rebels so much.

But I ramble on ....


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## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

SONNET CLV said:


> Pyotr Ilyich seems to me the quintessential "Russian" composer. Indeed, he wrote the _Little Russian _Symphony.


a piece dedicated to the Ukraine and bearing its name makes him more Russian than does 1812 Overture? are you sure?


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## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

SONNET CLV said:


> we love Shostakovich and the other rebels so much.


a rebel with Bolsheviks against the Tzarist Russia, needs to be pointed out.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

hpowders said:


> When I hear "Boris", I'm thinking Karloff, not Tchaikovsky!! :lol:


When I hear "Boris"....


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Zhdanov said:


> a rebel with Bolsheviks against the Tzarist Russia, needs to be pointed out.


I thought he was a bit young for that.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Here comes the old chestnut: what do you mean by 'best'? Personally, I would have to vote Rachmaninov and Shostakovich as my personal favourites among Russian composers. 
What if 'best' means 'most Russian'? Then Borodin and Mussorgsky come into serious contention, and maybe Mayaskovsky and Glinka too. 
What would a pre-Soviet Russian say to this? I can only observe that Mrs Pat's Russian grandmother was very fond of Chopin.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

When I listen to the wonderfully moody opening of Glazunov's Violin Concerto, he's the one for that particular moment. Too bad he couldn't sustain that genius a bit more elsewhere.


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## MissKittysMom (Mar 2, 2017)

Definitely some missing names here. Kabalevsky, Popov, Shebalin, not among the top certainly, but all produced memorable music. I'm particularly fond of Shebalin's string quartets; they are very hard to find, but perhaps his best works. I love quartet no. 7 particularly.

As for the expats, they all seemed to lose their Russianness the longer they stayed away. Prokofiev eventually went back. Rachmaninoff didn't recover his compositional power until he settled in with a Russian émigré community. Stravinsky never got it back after he discovered neoclassicism, although there are moments such as the Concerto in D for Strings.

Someone referred to Rimsky-Korsakov as an orientalist, and there's really nothing out of place about that in Russian cultural history; the Mongol influence was quite strong in their architecture, music, and for that matter, in their DNA. Prokofiev used those influences at times (Piano Concerto 3). Khachaturian's music was full of exotic colors, but he was Armenian (not Russian) and his culture carries through.

For me, Shostakovich, even though he was a second-generation immigrant of Polish descent. He based so much of his music on Russian literature as well as on his Russian composer predecessors. I couldn't place any of his music in any other culture.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

From the list: Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky.

Other: Glinka and Medtner


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

^ By the way, I'm totally confused about how to pronounce Medtner! How do you pronounce D and T together?  I've been walking down the sidewalk muttering possible pronunciations to myself...I guess I've officially lost my mind, and now everyone's crossing the street to avoid the madwoman! :lol:


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Really Prokofjev but I wasn´t thinking of him when I voted.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Bettina said:


> ^ By the way, I'm totally confused about how to pronounce Medtner! How do you pronounce D and T together?  I've been walking down the sidewalk muttering possible pronunciations to myself...I guess I've officially lost my mind, and now everyone's crossing the street to avoid the madwoman! :lol:


It's Russian. You pronounce the D and T together by saying the president's name. 

I'll be quiet now.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> ^ By the way, I'm totally confused about how to pronounce Medtner! How do you pronounce D and T together? * I've been walking down the sidewalk muttering *possible pronunciations to myself...I guess I've officially lost my mind, and now everyone's crossing the street to avoid the madwoman! :lol:


Oh. Gosh! Was that you? I reported you under the "Make our streets safe again" Trump directive!! Sorry!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bettina said:


> ^ By the way, I'm totally confused about *how to pronounce Medtner*! How do you pronounce D and T together?  I've been walking down the sidewalk muttering possible pronunciations to myself...I guess I've officially lost my mind, and now everyone's crossing the street to avoid the madwoman! :lol:


Try med-i-oc-re as an accurate pronounciation.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Really impossible choice - Stravinsky and Shostakovich - both giants, two of the greatest.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Which Russian composer would look the best if exhumed?

Shostakovich or Tchaikovsky or Glazunov or Medtner or Prokofiev?


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Which Russian composer would look the best if exhumed?
> 
> Shostakovich or Tchaikovsky or Glazunov or Medtner or Prokofiev?


Mussorgsky - he was well-pickled in alcohol prior to his passing....:devil:


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Heck148 said:


> Mussorgsky - he was well-pickled in alcohol prior to his passing....:devil:


So was Glazunov according to some! 

I hear that Tchaikovsky looks...fabulous! :lol:


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Who was the Best Russian Composer?

Tchaikovsky. Next question. :tiphat:


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

hpowders said:


> When I listen to the wonderfully moody opening of Glazunov's Violin Concerto, he's the one for that particular moment. Too bad he couldn't sustain that genius a bit more elsewhere.


Ummm,

The Seasons
Raymonda
Scenes de Ballet
Fourth and Sixth Symphonies
Piano Sonatas I & II
Theme & Variations for piano
Three Etudes for piano
Grande Valse for piano
Suite "From the Middle Ages"
The Sea
The Forest
Stenka Razin
String Quartet no. III
Suite for string quartet
Preludes and Fugues

- Yep, this immensely talented Russian had the ability to sustain that level of genius much more elsewhere.


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## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

Chronochromie said:


> I thought he was a bit young for that.


of course he joined them later. i meant the overall sentiment of his works.



Bettina said:


> ^ By the way, I'm totally confused about how to pronounce Medtner!


just drop either 'd' or 't'.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

SORRY PETER has the others beat his 6 six symphonies are superb works.His nutcracker suite is great i like the waltz of the flowers.the 1812 overture is great also.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Don't forget Tchaikovsky's operas, including Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades, Iolanta, Mazeppa, The Maid of Orleans, Cherevichki (The Tsarina's Slippers), etc...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

mtmailey said:


> View attachment 94602
> SORRY PETER has the others beat his 6 six symphonies are superb works.His nutcracker suite is great i like the waltz of the flowers.the 1812 overture is great also.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Nawwwwwwww not polls like these!


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I'm more surprised that Shostakovitch is running neck and neck with Stravinsky than I am by the fact that Tchaikovsky doesn't have an even greater lead than he does.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I voted for Tchaikovsky and Glazunov 
Tchaikovsky is the clear number 1 choice but I really want to support Glazunov as his symphonies are amongst my favourites


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

mtmailey said:


> View attachment 94602
> SORRY PETER has the others beat his 6 six symphonies are superb works.His nutcracker suite is great i like the waltz of the flowers.the 1812 overture is great also.


I agree with all you say, apart from 1812 which is in my opinion the only blot on his copybook


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

MissKittysMom said:


> Definitely some missing names here. Kabalevsky, Popov, Shebalin, not among the top certainly, but all produced memorable music. I'm particularly fond of Shebalin's string quartets; they are very hard to find, but perhaps his best works. I love quartet no. 7 particularly.
> 
> As for the expats, they all seemed to lose their Russianness the longer they stayed away. Prokofiev eventually went back. Rachmaninoff didn't recover his compositional power until he settled in with a Russian émigré community. Stravinsky never got it back after he discovered neoclassicism, although there are moments such as the Concerto in D for Strings.
> 
> ...


Talking of Mongol influence, let it not be forgotten that they ruled over Russia/Ukraine over several centuries. Sergei's surname also fascinates me as Rachman(inov) is Islamic in origin. No doubt he had Tartar blood in him somewhere. So yes, 'Orientalism' is in their blood.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Obvious choice for me: *Stravinsky*. Besides Shostakovich, the others don't resonate with my taste, especially the poll leader.


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

I love the music of many in this poll, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Glazunov and Balakirev. Shostakovich is even one of the few 20th century composers that I like. I voted for them all.

One composer however reigns supreme. *Tchaikovsky!*

My favorite composer, regardless of nationality. A crown he shares with Beethoven.


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## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

The Russians that I'd consider "great":

1. Stravinsky
2. Prokofiev
3. Shostakovich
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Scriabin
6. Rachmaninov


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Borodin is cited as a big influence to Debussy, Ravel and Glazunov. Nowadays I'd go with:

1. Borodin / Glazunov / Prokofiev
4. Rachmaninoff

In my earlier days I incorrectly said:

1. Tchaikovsky
2. Stravinsky
3. Borodin
4. Rachmaninoff


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Looking back on my choice for this poll, I think I must have made a mistake, selecting Schnittke instead of Stravinsky. That being said, Schnittke along with Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky is in my top 20 composers list.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

My top five:

1. Shostakovich
2. Prokofiev
3. Scriabin
4. Schnittke
5. Stravinsky

If Weinberg and Myaskovsky were on the list, my answers would be quite different.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I voted among others, Tchaikovsky. I expect he would lead the poll and indeed the statistical results prove that.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky for me- all great Russian geniuses.


.

I would add Mussorgsky.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Objectively: Stravinsky.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Stravinsky is the most overrated Russian composer, yes.

The fact that he's even beating Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev!!


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## HerbertNorman (Jan 9, 2020)

I really like the work of Shostakovich and I do appreciate Prokofiev and Stravinsky quite a lot too. Tchaikovsky was the Russian I started out with and there are a couple of his compositions that are very important to me.... Mussorgsky completes my top 5


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Oops!

........


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

1.Tchaikovsky
2.Shostakovich
3.Stravinsky
4.Scriabin
5.Prokofiev


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Four year revision (no special order):

For their sheer musicality>>>Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky
For his satisfying individuality>>>Stravinsky


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## gregorx (Jan 25, 2020)

1. Shostakovich
2. Stravinsky
3. Schnittke
4. Scriabin
5. Prokofiev


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Folks have been recycling the same names within their Top 5s since this thread started, so ... here below are five further names that are not in the poll & no TC member seems to chat about - except me. 

*Alexander Tcherepnin*
Best composer born into a Russian musical dynasty whose family subsequently fled to Paris avoiding the Soviet Union. Alexander married a Chinese woman and eventually became, in 1958, a U.S. citizen.

*Daniele Amfitheatrof*
Best composer born in Russia whose family emigrated to Italy, where "Amfi" served as a conductor after obtaining his degree.
Before WWII, he transitioned into his career providing music for Hollywood movies. By 1968, the "D.A." (as he was nicknamed) toiled as an insurance salesman since cinematic orchestral music was passé in the era of rock-'n'-roll.

*Nikolai Roslavets*
Best Russian composer of Ukranian origin who criticized proletarian ideologies in music and whose 'leftist art' music was formally suppressed in the U.S.S.R.

*Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov*
Best Soviet composer who was a significant figure in the realm of Russian-language cinema for around 25 years ('61 through '86).

*Vyacheslav Artyomov*
Best living Russian composer.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

Khachaturian is very underrated in my opinion. I have always overlooked him because many do not mention him, we always think of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Stravinsky. I am discovering him now and he's great.


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## advokat (Aug 16, 2020)

In order of preference:
Rachmaninov, 
Tchaikovsky, 
Shostakovich, 
Mussorgsky, 
Borodin, 
Glazunov, 
Taneyev, 
Sviridov, 
Arensky, 
Alabyev, 
Rimsky-Korsakov, 
Balakirev, 
Prokofiev, 
Myaskovsky, 
Scriabin.


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## HerbertNorman (Jan 9, 2020)

Amadea said:


> Khachaturian is very underrated in my opinion. I have always overlooked him because many do not mention him, we always think of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Stravinsky. I am discovering him now and he's great.


I have to agree with the fact that he is underrated. I think highly of his work , same applies to Borodin maybe


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

1. Stravinsky
2. Weinberg
3. Prokofiev
4. Rachmaninov
5. Schnittke
6. Shostakovich


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

1. Stravinsky
2. Gubaidúlina
3. Shostakovich
4. Prokofiev
5. Schnittke
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Scriabin
8. Lourie
9. Ustvolskaya


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

Red Terror said:


> 1. Stravinsky
> 2. Weinberg
> 3. Prokofiev
> 4. Rachmaninov
> ...


Wait, isn't Weinberg polish?


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## PuerAzaelis (Jul 28, 2021)

Rachmaninoff! Piano Concerto #2 changed my life ...


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

PuerAzaelis said:


> Rachmaninoff! Piano Concerto #2 changed my life ...


I had a brief encounter with it once . . .

See what I did there?


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

I’m not sure about ‘best’, but my favorites from this list are: Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Schnittke.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Tchaikovsky ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I watched _Der Zarewitsch_ last night; it was great. So my now favorite Russian composer is Franz Lehár.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

I am looking back on the poll...I must hhave been on a Schnittke phase when I came across this poll, because I had chosen him.


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## Sumantra (Feb 1, 2018)

Tchaikovsky
Shostakovich
Prokofiev
Stravinsky
Rachmaninov

Scriabin
Rimsky-Korsakov
Teneyev
Myaskovsky
Arensky

Glazunov
Borodin
Khachaturian
Medtner
Ustvolskaya


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## HerbertNorman (Jan 9, 2020)

My Top 6
Shostakovich
Prokofiev
Stravinsky
Tchaikovsky
Rachmaninov
Rimsky-Korsakov


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Shostakovich was, Gubaidulina is


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

My top five,

1. Prokofiev
2. Stravinsky
3. Rimsky-Korsakov
4. Shostakovich
5. Tchaikovsky

My next five,

6. Gliere
7. Scriabin
8. Rachmaninov
9. Nikolai Tcherepnin
10. Roslavets

& I need to get to know Taneyev's music better.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Stravinsky
Prokofiev
Tchaikovsky
Shostakovich
Mussorgsky

Most tragic victim of Stalinism (survived barely but could not compose at the former level) Mosolov


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Stravinsky
Shostakovich
Weinberg
Myaskovsky
Prokofiev


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Top 10:


Shostakovich
Gubaidulina
Tchaikovsky, PI
Stravinsky
Prokofiev
Mussorgsky
Myaskovsky
Weinberg
Scriabin
Rachmaninoff


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## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

Shostakovich has been a struggle for me. I explore, leave. There are some entertaining pieces of the early 20th century exploring jazz etc. that I listen to. It's much the same with Stravinsky, but I find the suites made from the ballets all listenable, so he is the composer whose works I most often play. Tchaikovsky I better say nothing about.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Khachaturian was Soviet but not Russian. He was from Armenia.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Some worthwhile names but now think I'll relax to the strains of Mossulov's _Iron Foundry_.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Roger Knox said:


> Some worthwhile names but now think I'll relax to the strains of Mossulov's _Iron Foundry_.


Try to find Mossolov's first piano concerto. It's like a mix between Berg-style expressionism and Iron Foundry. He was deported soon afterwards and although he eventually returned, he was a broken man and composed little and not very remarkable.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Objectively speaking, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky ex aequo.
Incidentally, those are two of the greatest composers that leave me cold as an ice cube.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

On this old poll I voted Prokofiev, now I would vote Stravinsky just ahead of Prokofiev. 

Stravinsky's sound was varied. Sometimes he sounded Russian, sometimes he sounded French and sometimes he sounded American.


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