# Russian music: Help please!



## Retrograde Inversion (Nov 27, 2016)

I daresay that most of us have our musical black holes of incomprehension, and for me that would seem to be Russian music. Other than a few things like the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, _Swan Lake_,_ Nutcracker_, _Scheherazade_ and the early ballets of Stravinsky, I just don't seem to get it.  I'm not sure if its the particularities of Slavic melody or something else.

What works would you recommend for me, and which conductors? (Unfortunately I can't really afford to buy CDs right now, so any recommendations will need to be on YouTube.)


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Try YouTube performances of the first three Prokofiev piano concertos, his odd-numbered symphonies, the two violin concertos, the Alexander Nevsky cantata, string quartet #2, and the music from Lieutenant Kije, Love for Three Oranges, Romeo and Juliet. You'll be glad you did!


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

For *Rachmaninov*, I'm partial to _Piano Concerto No. 3 & No. 4_, _Symphony No. 2_, the _Piano Trio No. 1 & No. 2_, the _Preludes_, _All-Night Vigil_, _Isle of the Dead_, and _Symphonic Dances_ - his glorious and supreme final work.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

For sheer color, I feel it's hard to beat Russian composers. If you've never heard it before, for a quick rouser, try Procession of the Nobles from Rimsky-Korsakov's Mlada. Then, there's his Capriccio Espagnol. What about Caucasian Sketches by Ippolitov-Ivanov? I'll assume you've heard Borodin's Polovetsian Dances. If so, try his Symphony #2. He also composed a wonderful sounding String Quartet #2. You may not particularly care for chamber music, but this piece contains some beautiful melodies. What about Glazunov's The Seasons? or Rachmaninoff's wonderful Symphony #2, as suggested by Skilmarilion? Strange Magic also recommends Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony---refreshingly musical. Have you heard Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien or his Serenade For Strings? There's so much more to explore from the Russians that you might find fascinating and enjoyable. Good listening!


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Retrograde Inversion said:


> I daresay that most of us have our musical black holes of incomprehension, and for me that would seem to be Russian music. Other than a few things like the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, _Swan Lake_,_ Nutcracker_, _Scheherazade_ and the early ballets of Stravinsky, I just don't seem to get it.  I'm not sure if its the particularities of Slavic melody or something else.
> 
> What works would you recommend for me, and which conductors? (Unfortunately I can't really afford to buy CDs right now, so any recommendations will need to be on YouTube.)


That's quite a long list for someone who reportedly doesn't "get" Russian music, so my first suggestion is that you no longer attach that label to yourself, but think of yourself rather as still exploring what for you is a new(ish) frontier.

A good conductor to look out for is Evgeny/Yevgeny Svetlanov (same guy, the second spelling of his first name being the phonetic version). In my experience he can infuse life into pieces which even I, a fan of Russian music, needed help with.


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## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

Retrograde Inversion said:


> I daresay that most of us have our musical black holes of incomprehension, and for me that would seem to be Russian music. Other than a few things like the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, _Swan Lake_,_ Nutcracker_, _Scheherazade_ and the early ballets of Stravinsky, I just don't seem to get it.  I'm not sure if its the particularities of Slavic melody or something else.
> 
> What works would you recommend for me, and which conductors? (Unfortunately I can't really afford to buy CDs right now, so any recommendations will need to be on YouTube.)


Since you mentioned YouTube, I will echo Rachmaninoff Piano Concerti.
And, in this case, with a Russian interpreter as well: Sviatoslav Richter.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

This requires a long, long answer, but I'll start with

*Alexander Glazunov*:

*His Symphonies:*
Jose Serebrier and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) under Warner Classics. Excellent, yet consistent playing all round and very well recorded (here's my review of the set: https://www.amazon.com/Glasunov-Sym...480694577&sr=8-6&keywords=glazunov+symphonies.). _Avoid the Naxos (Anissimov) or Otaka (BIS). _Individually,

Symphony no. I: Rozhdestvensky and the USSR Culture of Ministry SO.
Symphony no. II: Fedoseyev and the USSR TV and Radio Symphony Orchestra or Svetlanov and the USSR State Symphony Orchestra.
Symphony no. V: Neemi Jarvi and the Bavarian Radio Symphony.
Symphony no. VI: Golovanov and the USSR Large Symphony.
Symphony no. VIII: Polyansky and the Russian Symphony.
*His Concerti:*
Jose Serebrier and the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), with Rachel Pine, Serov, et al.
Individually,

Violin Concerto: Shumsky (violin), Jarvi with the RSNO.
Piano Concerto no. I: Maneli Pirzadeh (piano) with Turovsky & I Musici de Montreal
*His Chamber Works:*
Both the Shostakovich Quartet and the Ultrecht Quartets should work wonders. That said, there is not a single bad recording of the works, but the aforementioned take the cake. The Third Quartet (Slavonic) is a great place to start.

*His Piano Works:*
Stephen Coombs (Hyperion) or Duane Hulbert would do just fine. Try the Piano Sonatas (2), the Three Etudes, and Theme et Variations.

*His Miscellaneous Orchestral Works: *

Symphonic Poems/Fantasies: Neemi Jarvi and the RSNO (The Sea, Stenka Razin, The Spring) or Svetlanov and the USSR Symphony (The Forest, Oriental Rhapsody, The Kremlin). _Avoid the Naxos series._
Suites: From the Middle Ages (Jarvi & the RSNO or Golavanov and the USSR Large Symphony), Suite Characterestique (Svetlanov with the USSR Symphony or Polyansky with the Russian Symphony Orchestra), Scenes de Ballet (Jarvi and the RSNO). _Avoid the Naxos series._
Overtures, etc.: Overture Solennel (Jarvi and the Bavarian Radio SO), Poeme Lyrique (Svetlanov and the USSR SO), Triumphal March (Yondani Butt and the London Symphony).
*His Ballets, Incidental Music, Cantatas, Songs:*

Raymonda: Svetlanov and the Bolshoi or Anissimov and the Moscow Symphony.
Lady Soubrette: Svetlanov and the USSR State SO.
The Seasons (Vremeda Goda): Jarvi and the RSNO, Svetlanov and the Philharmonia, Bakels and the Malaysian Philharmonic, Ashkenazy and the Royal Philharmonic, or Serebrier and the RSNO.
"Tsar' Iudeyskiy" (The King of the Jews)-incidental music: Rozhdestvensky and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra and Cappella (Chandos).
"Commemorative Cantata": Polyansky with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra and Cappella (Chandos).
Songs: especially those setting to Pushkin's verses like "Desire" or "Spanish Romanza". Here's a link (also to be found in YouTube) https://www.amazon.com/Glazunov-Com...213&sr=1-1&keywords=glazunov+northern+flowers
--> Try not to be (too) daunted by this extensive list (just take your time and explore). Glazunov is one major composer well worth knowing, and his music brings repeated rewards. Just take Glazunov and each of his works on their own terms, and you'll see the secrets and the wonders the music yields. In short, enjoy the music.

I'll fill you in on *Myaskovsky* next (another great, important, but vastly underappreciated composer), but in due course.

Happy Listening.
:tiphat:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Pictures At An Exibition is an easy one to get into. Great music too! 

Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony is another classic.

Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto if you like modern music. And his cello sonata is a great piece.

Borodin's In The Steppes of Central Asia.

Stravinsky has tons of great stuff. Try the Symphonies Of Wind Instruments. Concerto for piano and winds. Soldier's Tale suite.

Rachmaninov 2nd piano concerto


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I'm a sucker for late19th/20th century Russian music. It's the long melodic lines and hint of wistfulness - think of Pushkin and Chekhov embodied in music.
Replies so far have much of the best of Russian CM. If I were to make a choice it would go something like:

Glinka - Russlan & Ludmilla Overture, to get a feel for the pre-Tchaikovsky genre plus it's a really lively piece
Borodin - In the Steppes of Central Asia, demonstrates what I mean about melodic lines
Mussorgsky - Dawn on the Moscow River, because it is simply beautiful
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition, but go for the original piano version to hear the 'Russian' version
Tchaikovsky - The Seasons, not his best known work but absolutely typical and really interesting
Prokofiev - Classical Symphony, creative, charming
Balakirev - Islamey, one hell of a piece

Then, as the vast rolling darkness of Mother Russia enters your soul, settle back for 70 minutes with Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony, preferably alone in a darkened room with a large shot of vodka to hand.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Retrograde, it might help if we knew more about your non-Russian musical interests in classical music.


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## Retrograde Inversion (Nov 27, 2016)

Thanks for all the replies, lots of good suggestions. I've just finished listening to the Rachmaninov 2nd Symphony, with (following Animal the Drummer's suggestion) Svetlanov and the USSR SO. I certainly enjoyed it, but I'll need several listenings to properly absorb it. The theme of the 2nd movement was familiar to me: my memory is suggesting perhaps a radio program (I live in New Zealand) from some years ago.

As for my own musical background, it ranges from the standard German repertoire with a particular obsession for Wagner, through Debussy and Ravel, (the latter being a composer I've come to increasingly admire), to the 2nd Viennese, Bartok and post-war modernism. I tend to be most attracted to music with a great sense of line as well as lush or colorful textures (Boulez, Takemitsu, Crumb and Ferneyhough are all favourites among modernist composers). At the same time, I'm less likely to be so receptive to the more rebarbative sound-worlds of Xenakis or Birtwistle, unless I'm in the right mood. I generally dislike neoclassicism and the less said about minimalism the better...
(I'm also (Shameless Self-Promotion Alert!) a composer myself, and have posted in the "Today's Composers" sub-forum.)

I'm not sure I have a soul and I don't drink, vodka or otherwise.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Retrograde Inversion said:


> As for my own musical background, it ranges from the standard German repertoire with a particular obsession for Wagner, through Debussy and Ravel, (the latter being a composer I've come to increasingly admire), to the 2nd Viennese, Bartok and post-war modernism. I tend to be most attracted to music with a great sense of line as well as lush or colorful textures (Boulez, Takemitsu, Crumb and Ferneyhough are all favourites among modernist composers).


Based on your musical tastes, I think that Scriabin might appeal to you. His 24 Preludes, Op. 11 might be a good starting place.

If you're interested in delving into some of Scriabin's later work, I highly recommend Vers la Flamme, composed in 1914. It strikes me as something that Wagner might have written if he'd still been alive in 1914 (in which case he would have been 101 years old... )


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## Retrograde Inversion (Nov 27, 2016)

Bettina said:


> Based on your musical tastes, I think that Scriabin might appeal to you. His 24 Preludes, Op. 11 might be a good starting place.
> 
> If you're interested in delving into some of Scriabin's later work, I highly recommend Vers la Flamme, composed in 1914. It strikes me as something that Wagner might have written if he'd still been alive in 1914 (in which case he would have been 101 years old... )


Actually, i just posted on Scriabin in the guestbook section before I read your reply! I don't know _Vers la Flamme_, though ,so I'll check that out.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Since you listen to a lot of modern music, you might want to explore Schnittke and Gubaidulina.

Gubaidulina-Concerto For Bassoon and Low Strings, Lyre Of Orpheus, Symphony in 12 monements

Schnittke-symphonies nos. 3,8 ; concerto for piano & strings, Peer Gynt, cello concertos 1&2, requiem


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Retrograde Inversion said:


> .... Ravel, (the latter being a composer I've come to increasingly admire)


Let me again suggest Prokofiev to you; he too admired Ravel and said so. Perhaps revealing in that he and Ravel also each responded to the one-armed pianist Wittgenstein's request that left-hand concertos be written for him. I also detect a certain gleam of exoticism juxtaposed with exactitude now and again in the music of both composers.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

This may be way out from what you are looking for but I can't help posting it as this is my favorite piece of Russian music:
Mussorgsky, Boris Godunov: 




But if you don't like singing/opera, then try Leopold Stokowski's "Symphonic Synthesis" from Boris Godunow. It is not the whole 2-hour opera, but 6 pieces from it and the music is wonderful:


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Prokofiev - Symphony 6






Gubaidulina - Viola Concerto






I agree with the Schnittke recommendations in post #14.


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