then, the musical conservatories in Moscow and St. Petersburg taught Italian,
French, and German styles. Especially important was Anton Rubinstein (1829-
1894), founder of the St. Petersburg Conservatory and one of the greatest pianists
of the 19th century. His compositions were mostly influenced by Beethoven.
(Rubinstein's Piano Concerto No. 4 - 33 min, Play)
However, in 1836 composer Mikhail Glinka had premiered the opera A Life
for the Tsar. In keeping with Glinka's European training, much of the opera was
structured according to conventional Italian and French models of the period.
Nevertheless, several passages in the opera are based on Russian folk songs or
folk melodic idioms that become a full part of the musical texture.
In the 1850s, inspired by Glinka's music, four untrained, non-professional
musicians, Alexander Borodin, Cệsar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, and Nicholai
Rimsky-Korsakov, banded with professional musician Mily Balakirev in St.
Petersburg. Known collectively as the Mighty Handful or the Mighty Five,
these composers changed the course of music in Russia. They not only wrote
significant Russian historical operas like Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Rimsky-
Korsakov's Maid of Pskov, and Borodin's Prince Igor, they injected traditional
Russian folk music and Russian Orthodox religious music sounds into orchestral,
chamber, and piano music.
While never a member of the Five, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the greatest Russian
composer of the 19th century, also began developing Russian national music in all
genres. He was particularly influential in developing a Russian ballet that would
continue into the 20th century through composers like Igor Stravinsky and Sergei
Prokofiev.
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Traditional Russian Folk Music Play
Russian Orthodox Religious Chants Play
Russian Orthodox Basso Profundo Religious Chants Play
Russian Orthodox Church Bells Play
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The Mighty Handful (aka. The Five)
Documentary: The Mighty Handful Play, 22 min
Mily Balakirev (1836-1910) Professional Composer
Documentary: The Mighty Handful: Balakirev, Play, 21 min
Overture on Three Russian Songs (orchestra, ????) Play, 9:30
Tamara (symphonic poem, 1867-82) Play, 22:33
Russia (symphonic poem, 1882) Play, 12:33
Islamey: Oriental Fantasy (solo piano, 1869) Play, 7:15
(Also good: Symphonies No. 1, Play & No. 2, Play)
Alexander Borodin (1833-1877) Chemist
Documentary: The Mighty Handful: Borodin Play, 16 min
In the Steppes of Central Asia (symphonic poem,1880) Play, 7:30
Polovtsian Dances (from the opera Prince Igor, unfinished at Borodin's 1887 death)
Opera scene: Play, 11:35 Orchestra version: Play, 11 min
Symphony No. 2 in B minor (1869-1876) Play, 30 min
String Quartet No. 2 (in D major) (1881) Play, 29 min
Petite Suite (solo piano,1885, audio only) Play, 23 min
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) Military Officer
Documentary: The Mighty Handful: Rimsky-Korsakov Play, 29 min
Scheherazade (symphonic poem cycle - 1888) Play, 42 min
Russian Easter Overture (1888) Play, 15 min
Capricicco Espagnole (1887) Play, 16:30
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) Civil Servant
Documentary: The Mighty Handful: Mussorgsky Play, 30 min
Night on Bald Mountain (symphonic poem - 1867) Play, 17 min
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was originally a piano suite of program music
representing his visit to an art exhibition. The opening piece "Prominade" reoccurs several
times in the work, and represents walking from one painting to another, ten paintings in all.
While the original piano suite is still popular and is played by many top pianists, nearly a
half century after its composition the work was orchestrated by French composer Maurice
Ravel. The orchestra version is even more popular then the original piano version. Overall,
Pictures at an Exhibition is one of the greatest Late Romantic Russian instrumental works.
Pictures at an Exhibition (original piano suite - 1874) Play, 39 min - Valentina Lisitsa
Pictures at an Exhibition (Maurice Ravel's 1922 orchestra version) Play, 35 min - Karajan
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Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) A list of Tchaikovsky's compositions
Documentary: BBC Great Composers: Tchaikovsky Play, 1 hour
Article: Tchaikovsky and the Mighty Five
The Nutcracker (ballet) - 1892)
Suite - Play, 28 min Full ballet - Play, 90 min
Swan Lake (ballet) - 1875-76)
Suite - Play, 29 min Full ballet - Play, 2 hours Bolshoi Ballet
Symphony No. 4 (of 7) (1887-88) Play, 45 min Leonard Bernstein / New York Phil
Excellent documentary & performance on Symphony No. 4 (Play, 100 min)
Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No. 5 (of 7) (1893) Play, 47 min Leonard Bernstein / Boston Symphony
Symphony No. 6 (of 7) "Pathétique" (1893) Play, 47 min Karajan / Berlin Phil
1812 Overture (concert overture, 1888) Play, 20 min 2014 PROMS
Romeo and Juliet (symphonic poem, 1870, rev. 1880) Play, 20 min Gergiev, 2010 PROMS
Serenade for Strings (1880) Play, 32 min
Piano Concerto No. 1 (of 2) (1875, rev. '79 & '88) Play, 41 min Evgeny Kissin / Karajan
Violin Concerto (1878) Play, 36 min Joshua Bell / Gergiev, U.S. National Youth Orch
Piano Trio (1881) Play, 47 min Joshua Bell, Misha Maisky, Evgeny Kissin
String Quartet No. 1 (of 3) (1871) Play, 30 min
String Sextet "Souvenir of Florence" (1892) Play, 36 min
The Seasons (character pieces for solo piano, 1876) Play, 46 min Olga Scheps
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (a cappella choral work, 1878) Play, 28 min (partial)
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) A list of Glazunov's compositions
Documentary: (Printed in English as Glazunov's music plays) Play, 16 min
Symphony No. 4 (of 8) (1893) Play, 33 min
The Seasons (ballet, 1899) Play, 40 min
Violin Concerto (1904) Play, 20 minutes Hilary Hahn, violin
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) A list of Medtner's compositions (mostly piano music)
Medtner is not one of the most famous Russian composers. Beginners to Russian
classical music should probably focus on the others one this page. But several of his
piano works can be heard by clicking here.
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1946) A list of Rachmaninoff's compositions
Documentary: The Joys of Rachmaninoff (BBC) Play, 1 hour
Orchestra Music
Symphony No. 2 (of 3) (1908) Play, 58 min Vasily Petrenko, Oslo Philharmonic
Isle of the Dead (symphonic poem, 1909) Play, 24 min John Storgards, cond. PROMS 2019
Symphonic Dances (orchestra suite, 1940) Play, 41 min Andre Orazco-Estrada, cond
Piano and Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 2 (of 4) (1901) Play, 38 min Anna Fedorova, piano
Piano Concerto No. 3 (of 4) (1909) Play, 40 min Khatia Buniatishvilli, piano
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934) Play, 24 min YuajWang, piano
Piano Concertos 1 - 4, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Play, 2 hours, 17 min (audio)
Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano
Chamber Music
Trio élégiaque No. 2 (of 2) Play, 46 min Nikolai Lugansky, Misha Maisky, Julian Rachlin
Cello Sonata (1901) Play, 35 min Isata and Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Solo Piano Music
Piano Sonata No. 2 (1913) Play, 18 min Valentina Lisitsa, piano
Ten Preludes, Op. 23 (1903) Play, 43 min Grigory Sokoloff, piano
Thirteen Preludes, Op. 32 (1910) Play, 38 min Boris Berezovsky, piano
Études-Tableaux, Op. 33 (1911) No. 8 Play, 3:46 Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano
Études-Tableaux, Op. 39 (1917) Play, 25 min Evgeny Kissin, piano
Music for Two Pianos
Suite No. 2 (for 2 pianos, 1901) Play, 22 min Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, pianos
Vocal Music
All Night Virgil (a capella choral work, 1915) Play, 54 min
Vocalise (wordless song, 1915) Play, 5 min
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Early 20th Century Modernism
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) List of compositions
Symphony No. 5 (1944) Play, 52 min
Symphony No. 6 (1945-7) Play, 43 min
Peter and the Wolf (Orchestra work for children, 1936) Play, 30 min
Romeo and Juliet (Ballet suite, 1935, rev. 1940) Play, 31 min
Scythian Suite (Orchestra suite, 1915) Play, 20 min (audio)
Lieutenant Kijé (Film score suite, 1934) Play, 20 min
Violin Concerto No. 1 (1917) Hilary Hahn Play, 21 min
Piano Concerto No. 3 (1921) Yuja Wang Play, 33 min
Symphony-Concerto (for cello, 1952) Play, 39 min
Piano Sonata No. 7 "Stalingrad" (1942) Mikhail Pletnev Play, 20 min
Igor Stravinsky (1881 - 1972) List of compositions
Suite from The Firebird ballet (1910) Play, 22 min
A landmark 20th century work! →
The Rite of Spring (Le Scare du Printemps) (ballet, 1915) Play, 36 min -
Symphony of Psalms (1930) Play, 22 min
Dmitri Shoshtakovich (1906 - 1975) List of compositions
Symphony No. 5 (1937) Play, 50 min
Symphony No. 10 (1953) Play, 57 min
Cello Concerto No. 1 (1959) Play, 30 min
String Quartet No. 8 (1959) Play, 21 min
Piano Quintet (1959) Play, 37 min