# Most dramatic, ''epic'' Russian music ?



## w00ster (May 14, 2016)

Hi,

I'm new to this forum.
I've been a classical music dilettante for years now, but I've come here today with a specific question.

I'm spending the whole year learning about Russian history, Russian writers and also Russian music. I'd really love to discover some new composers but I feel the field is so vast it's a little daunting for me to approach. I've spent the last couple of hours on Youtube but again, there is just so much to choose from I don't really know where to begin.

I wonder if you guys could give me a few suggestions as to what pieces to listen to next, considering the following:

1- I adore Shostakovich, his symphonies and Jazz album.
2- I'm a sucker for any bold, powerful, epic type thing. I love pieces such as Glinka's ''Glory'' from ''A life for the Tsar'', the 1812 overture, Polyshka Polye and the Russian national anthem itself, which moves me to no end. 
3- Outside Russian music, again, I'm very attracted to the dramatic boisterous pieces like Rossini's ''La gazza Ladra'' , Mozart's ''Die entführung aus dem Serail'' Beethoven's 9th etc.
4- From what I've heard so far Rachmaninov seems really interesting, and I'd like to discover some of his gems, but again, I'm not quite sure where to begin.

If you would have a few bold and dramatic Russian suggestions for me I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

'Chimes' by Valery Gavrilin


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I'll give two recommendations:

Etude op 8 no 12 of Scriabin is a standard flashy/soul stirring russian piano banger, have a go:






Try this section of Janacek's(Czech composer, but may be suitable) Sinfonietta and listen to the rest if you are intrigued(has great melodic invention and orchestration of crystalline clarity):


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Also, Janacek wrote a 3 movement orchestral rhapsody, called Taras Bulba, based on the novel by Gogol(since you are into studying Russian writers). I find myself listening to it even more than Sinfonietta, and to get a sense of the action in it, you could jump into movement 2:


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Welcome on the forum!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

The first big Rachmaninov piece to really take a hold of me was his 3rd piano concerto. 




It can be hard to find the most exciting of the Rachmaninoff piano miniatures apart from the most famous ones. These two are among my favorites of the fast and crazy ones that aren't QUITE as famous: 
F sharp minor etude tableaux 




E flat minor etude tableaux(op 33 no 6)





TxllxT's suggestion of that huge 3rd symphony of Gliere is pretty perfect for the "epic" side of your query.(who was in fact a Russian, despite his name)


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Some more Rachmaninoff solo piano pieces you might enjoy:

Elegie Op. 3 No. 1 




 (reproduced from a piano roll recorded by the composer himself)
Moment Musical Op. 16 No. 4 




Prelude Op. 23 No. 2 




Prelude Op. 32 No. 10


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Rachmaninoff: 
Symphony no. 2 is an epic work that plays out a unified thematic drama from beginning to end
Piano Concerto no. 3 likewise.
The Isle of the Dead is a great and dramatic symphonic poem.
His Third Symphony is dramatic and a good example of his late style, in which his orchestration is crystal clear and imaginative.
Rachmaninoff's favorite was his choral symphony, The Bells, which sets a paraphrase of Poe's poem.

Prokofiev:
The "War Sonatas," Piano Sonatas 6, 7, and 8, are monumental and excellent.
Symphonies 5 and 6 likewise.
The darkest thing he ever wrote was probably the Violin Sonata no. 1 in F minor. A masterpiece.

Shostakovich: 
Symphonies 4, 5, 8, 10, 13 and 15 
Cello Concerto no. 1
Violin Concerto no. 1
String Quartets 3, 5, and 10

I'll let someone else address other composers.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky. Than you can quit your search.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Prokofiev War and Peace


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

For the "noisy" & dramatic music I think you should hear "Night on Bare Mountain" by Mussorgsky  I tend to like the "sad & beautiful" russian music, f.ex. the Lark by Glinka. Mischa Maisky has a wonderful album of russian melodies called "Vocalise", maybe my favorite cello album!


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## majlis (Jul 24, 2005)

If you want dramatic music, I think one of the best ever is Tchaikovky's Manfred. Or his 4th.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

majlis said:


> If you want dramatic music, I think one of the best ever is Tchaikovky's Manfred. Or his *4th*.


Definitely the 4th! 6th too, although there is something sadder in that work


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Khachaturian: Piano Concerto
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 1,2,3; Symphonies 3,5
Stravinsky: Firebird; The Rite of Spring


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Don't leave Borodin out, he's very crucial and excellent.


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## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

You must wrap your ears around this piece by Shostakovich:






It is visceral to the nth degree.............


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## w00ster (May 14, 2016)

Wow, thanks for the numerous and rapid replies, this is really great !! 
I'll be compiling these into a Youtube playlist in which I shall bask for the next couple of days to try and see what fits. 

From very quick first impressions, 

Janacek's Taras Bulba
Glière's 3rd symphony
Rachmaninov Musical Moment No.4 in E minor and 2nd symphony
Basically everything by Prokofiev/Borodin/Shostakovich (Execution of Stenka Razin!!)

are early favorites.

So much listening to do !!


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Some excellent suggestions already. I would like to add Shostakovich's 11th symphony. One of the most epic endings in all of symphonic literature. And the rest of the symphony is pretty dramatic too.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Fugue Meister said:


> Don't leave Borodin out, he's very crucial and excellent.


Yes, I concur

Symphony no 2
Polovetsian Dances
On the Steppes of Central Asia


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

One name which hasn't been mentioned yet is Balakirev. His beautiful 1st symphony in particular is on an epic scale. Some of his other orchestral works, though shorter, have plenty to say for themselves too, and are very atmospheric in places.

I also have a book recommendation. If you haven't already, you need to beg, borrow or steal a copy of Orlando Figes' book "Natasha's Dance", an encyclopaedic and beautifully written cultural history of Russia.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Animal the Drummer said:


> I also have a book recommendation. If you haven't already, you need to beg, borrow or steal a copy of Orlando Figes' book "Natasha's Dance", an encyclopaedic and beautifully written cultural history of Russia.


Thanks for the reference to this book; I'll check it out. A book I have appreciated for decades is Suzanne Massie's wonderful love-fest also concerning Russian cultural history, _Land of the Firebird_. It is probably nowhere as encyclopedic as the Figes book, but clearly it is a work of love by someone deeply moved by Russian art, crafts, and music.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Ilarion said:


> You must wrap your ears around this piece by Shostakovich:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And if you like that you will like "Babi Yar, "the first movement of his Symphony 13, with which the cantata shares a number of traits.

Thanks for that link Ilarion!


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## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Hi EdwardBast,

Its my pleasure to serve forum colleagues:tiphat:

Btw, if one listens to the movie score for the original "Conan the Barbarian" one can get the impresssion that Miklos Rosza who composed the "Conan" score got inspired by Shosty's "Stenka Razin".

Also, if one reads the dramatic poem that lead Shosty to set it to music - WOW!!! Especially in Russian. Fwiw, I have yet to find a satisfying English translation, since Russian is notoriously difficult to properly and idiomatically translate into English.

If I may, the capture of William Wallace by Edward I after the Battle of Falkirk and Wallace's body being drawn and quartered is, in a peculiar sort of way, similar to the fate of "Stenka Razin".


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I second Rimsky-Korsakov! Master of epicness!

I'm not just talking about his Trilogy, _Scheherezade_, _Capriccio Espagnol_, and _Russian Easter Overture_. Those are quite dramatic crowd-pleasers in their own right. But try these 2 for size...






From his opera Kitezh:





 Now that's some dramatic stuff.


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## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> I second Rimsky-Korsakov! Master of epicness!
> 
> I'm not just talking about his Trilogy, _Scheherezade_, _Capriccio Espagnol_, and _Russian Easter Overture_. Those are quite dramatic crowd-pleasers in their own right. But try these 2 for size...
> 
> ...


Hear, hear - Battle of Kerzhenets from "Invisible City of Kitezh" is definitely drama-laden. Thank you, blessed Huilu for mentioning it.:tiphat:


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)




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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

I concur with all of the above. 
Allow me to add:


*Glazunov:* Symphony no. II, Symphonic poem "Stenka Razin", Symphonic Picture "The Sea", Sonata no. I, Oriental Rhapsody.
*Rachmaninoff:* Symphony no. I, opera "The Miserly Knight."
*Tchaikovsky:* operas "Mazeppa" & "Orleanskaya Deva" (Maid of Orleans).
*Boris Lyatoshynsky:* Symphonies I-III, Symphonic poem "Grazhyna."
*Myaskovsky:* Symphonies III, VI, XVI, XVII, XXII, XXIV, Sonata no. IV, String Quartet no. IX.
*Yuri Shaporin:* opera "The Decembrists."
*Lev Knipper:* Symphony no. IV "Poem of the Komsomol Fighter."
*Nikolai Roslavets:* Violin Concerto no. I
*Alexander Serov:* opera "Judith."
*Sergei Lyapunov:* Symphony no. II and Symphonic Poem "Hashish."
*Alexander Scriabin:* Symphonies I-III.
*Alexander Dargomyzhsky:* opera "The Stone Guest."
*Georgi Catoire:* Cinq Morceaux (for piano).
*Anton Rubinstein:* Symphony no. IV "Dramatic."
*Konstantin Dankevich:* opera "Bohdan Khmelnytsky."
*Boris Tchaikovsky:* Symphony no. III and Symphonic Poem "The Wind of Siberia."
*Vissarion Shebalin: *Symphonies I, II, IV, String Quartet no. V.
*Gavriil Popov:* Symphonies I & VI.
*Shostakovich:* Piano Sonata no. I, opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District."
*Weinberg:* Piano Sonata no. VI, Symphony no. VI.
*Ippolitov-Ivanov:* Symphonic poem "Mtsyri."
*Alemdar Karamanov:* Symphony no. XX.
*Kabalevsky:* Symphony no. IV, String Quartet no. II.
*Andrei Eshpai:* Symphonies I, V.
*Feinberg:* Piano Concerti I & III, Sonatas VI & IX.
*Medtner:* Violin Sonata no. III "Epic."
*Vladimir Scherbachov: *Symphony no. V.
*Kalinnikov:* Symphony no. I, Overture and Incidental Music "Tsar Boris."
*Balakirev:* Overture and Incidental Music "King Lear."
I think that should do it, _for now_.
Welcome to the Forum (and enjoy).
:tiphat:


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## Guest (May 17, 2016)

If you want drama and "Russian-ness" try Sheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov.


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## w00ster (May 14, 2016)

Wow, I'm definitely adding these as well, it's nice to see many names I've never heard of before. I'll reorganise my playlists into individual composers methinks.
What an excellent forum,
thanks!!!


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Animal the Drummer said:


> One name which hasn't been mentioned yet is Balakirev. His beautiful 1st symphony in particular is on an epic scale. Some of his other orchestral works, though shorter, have plenty to say for themselves too, and are very atmospheric in places.


Oooh yes, Balakirev. Find a really red-blooded performance of Islamey. Brilliant stuff.
Lots of great suggestions so far. If you're getting to know Rachmaninov, don't overlook the 4th piano concerto and his lovely cello Sonata.


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## w00ster (May 14, 2016)

Thanks for reminding me of ''Battle on the ice'', I'm actually trying to paint a scene of Alexander Nevsky during the battle 
Should serve as a proper soundtrack


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## Notorious JWB (May 6, 2016)

clavichorder said:


> I'll give two recommendations:
> 
> Etude op 8 no 12 of Scriabin is a standard flashy/soul stirring russian piano banger, have a go:
> 
> ...


Both stellar suggestions.


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## Notorious JWB (May 6, 2016)

My first thought was to jump up and down yelling "SHOSTAKOVICH!!!" but then I read the fine print. 

Rachmaninov in general is a good go-to for anyone interested in Russian music. Kind of the thinking person's Tchaikovsky. (Hides behind couch to escape inevitable bombardment.) 

Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto pretty much epitomizes "It was a dark and stormy night" and the first movement has some of the most ingenious interweaving of two separate themes you'll ever hear. 

Also, I'm kind of amazed more people haven't mentioned Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition to someone who specified "epic" and "dramatic" - what else could fit the bill more perfectly?


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## WaterRat (May 19, 2015)

w00ster,

For a more modern dramatic composer you may want to give Alfred Schnittke a try. It's quite intense, and as I said, decidedly more modern than the others listed in this thread. Nevertheless, it's dramatic 

e.g.
Symphony #5
Concerto Grosso


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

You may also want to check out Scriabin's Fantasie Op. 28 (for solo piano).
It's an enormous late romantic outpouring with a prolonged finale that makes it feel like an epic journey.

It may take a while to get used to this hypercharged music, but it's worth it (even the audio quality; I've listened to them all and nothing beats this):


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## w00ster (May 14, 2016)

Animal the Drummer said:


> One name which hasn't been mentioned yet is Balakirev. His beautiful 1st symphony in particular is on an epic scale. Some of his other orchestral works, though shorter, have plenty to say for themselves too, and are very atmospheric in places.
> 
> I also have a book recommendation. If you haven't already, you need to beg, borrow or steal a copy of Orlando Figes' book "Natasha's Dance", an encyclopaedic and beautifully written cultural history of Russia.


I'm currently halfway through Natasha's Dance (ordered through my wonderful local library) and can't thank you enough for this great recommendation! 

There is so much for me to learn.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

I'm delighted you're enjoying it. It's one of the most wonderful books of any genre that I've read for a very long time.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

WaterRat said:


> w00ster,
> 
> For a more modern dramatic composer you may want to give Alfred Schnittke a try. It's quite intense, and as I said, decidedly more modern than the others listed in this thread. Nevertheless, it's dramatic
> 
> ...


I'm not Russian (and Schnittke ancestry was German and German Jewish) but Schnittke's _Concerto for Piano and Orchestra_ is *extremely intense* and has those broad range of emotions that come to my mind when I think of the Russian soul.


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

Ilarion said:


> Hi EdwardBast,
> 
> Its my pleasure to serve forum colleagues:tiphat:
> 
> ...


Sorry if someone's already pointed it out but Miklos Rosza did not compose the epic score for 'Conan the Barbarian.' It was in fact Basil Poledouris. It is a monumental achievement for a film score. Truly epic and beautiful in every sense. A work of art if I'm being honest.


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## Algonquin (Apr 10, 2021)

Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture. He starts out solemnly using 2 Russian hymns and gradually whips the orchestra into a fury ending with glorious brass. Brilliantly orchestrated and truly thrilling.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Algonquin said:


> Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture. He starts out solemnly using 2 Russian hymns and gradually whips the orchestra into a fury ending with glorious brass. Brilliantly orchestrated and truly thrilling.


Yes. This is the correct and final answer!


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

I don't know if it's been mentioned already, but the Leningrad Symphony is certainly an "epic" work. And the fist movement of Borodin's Second Symphony is dramatic.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Tchaikovsky: Serenade For Strings and Symphony no. 4
Borodin: Symphony no. 2, Polovetsian Dances and In the Steppes of Central Asia 
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade and Procession of the Nobles 
Rachmaninoff: Symphony no. 2 aand Piano Concerto no. 3
Prokofiev: Symphony no. 1 ("Classical" Symphony) and Symphony no. 5
Ippolitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches Suite no. 1


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