List of Pieces with Russian Nationalism

[KGill]

Sorry, I've never actually seen it spelled in Cyrillic, I didn't know it had 'yu' in it. I wish they'd transliterate it better...

[allegroamabile]

What influenced Russian nationalist to use grace notes quite frequently?

[vinteuil]

Hmm...I suspect the folk songs.

[Yagan Kiely]

I could not quite understand what you just said, Yagan, could you clarify that?

Call it a preemptive strike. If Shostakovich is mentioned more often (especially in regard to nationalism) it is assured Volkov will come up.

[allegroamabile]

Hmm...I suspect the folk songs.

That is what I thought. You can even see this influence all the way up to the opening bars of Penderecki's Sextet (2000). It is quite moving.

I think the three most Russian sounding pieces I have listened to would have to be Balakirev's Symphony No. 1 and Glazunov's Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (second movement especially).

[Lyle Neff]

[...] Mily Balakirev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Mazurkas Nos. 1 & 5; Russia, a symphonic poem; Islamey

Balakirev's Symphony No. 2 ends with a Polonaise -- which is NOT a Russian genre. The mazurka likewise was appropriated by Russian composers from the Poles. (Russian composer Cesar Cui -- of French and Lithuanian descent -- composed many mazurkas and polonaises; are they "Russian" works, too?)

Balakirev's Islamey (as well as the slow movement of his 1st symphony) invokes "eastern" (i.e., non-Russian) elements and reflects the result of Russian imperialism. Can that work -- as well as comparable "eastern" pieces by Russian composers -- truly be considered "Russian"?

[allegroamabile]

In order to understand the Mazurkas by Balakirev, Lyle Neff, you have to listen to them. The melodies in those pieces are so influenced by Russian folksongs. Another way you can look at it is that not all waltzes have to be in the style of Johann Strauss II- not saying that he invented the waltz (the second movement of the Hindemith Kliene Klammermusik No. 2 is a descent example). You might have already listen to them, but I suspect you have not because they pretty much have "Russian" written all over them. As for Balakirev's Symphony No. 1, the opening theme of the last movement is marked with Theme russe. The full score of the movement is below.

http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/2 ... 1_4_fs.pdf

Anyways, it is good to see someone else as enthusiastic about Russian music as much as I am.

[allegroamabile]

Who orchestrated the Polovtsian Dances by Borodin? Was it Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov?

[Lyle Neff]

Who orchestrated the Polovtsian Dances by Borodin? Was it Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov?

Wkipedia says Borodin, R-K, and Lyadov (but I'd have to check their source). I understand that Borodin orchestrated it himself and that the piece was performed in his lifetime (presumably with that orchestration).

[Melodia]

Prince Igor as a whole is an absolutely complete mess in terms to who orchestrated/arranged what.
The general rule you should remember for Borodin is that, out of his orchestral works (including Igor), the only one that's all him is In the Steppes of Central Asia.

[allegroamabile]

What about his Symphonies?

[Lyle Neff]

What about his Symphonies?

R-K (maybe also Glazunov?) touched up the 1st two symphonies. See Abraham's book on Borodin. If memory serves, I think Abraham mentions that the instrument playing the opening theme of the slow movement of the 1st symphony was changed.

Glazunov completed and orchestrated the two movements of Borodin's Symphony No. 3 and also orchestrated and adapted the Petite Suite.

There is a chart in the Wikipedia article on Igor tabulating who did what in that opera:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Igor#Structure

[allegroamabile]

I guess Borodin was too engrossed in chemistry to where he could not keep up with his musical activities..... He kind of reminds me of Yuri Zhivago (Omar El-Shariff) in Dr. Zhivago in the way that they were both amatuer artists (Zhivago was a poet) and professional scientists whom thought one could not be respected if he were to be a professional in the arts. He also looks quite a bit like Borodin (even more like young Glazunov).

There is a rumor that Glazunov orchestrated The Overture to Prince Igor by memory from the one time Borodin played it for him on the piano but Shostakovich reports something different. During the conservatory years, an intoxicated Glazunov revealed to his student, Shostakovich, that he was the true composer of the overture and not just the orchestrator. Shostakovich also believed if it were true that Glazunov should be honored for his loyalty to Borodin and admiting while he was drunk that he truly composed it did not count as actually taking credit for being the creator of that piece.

[KGill]

Interesting, but 'Shostakovich reports'? Exactly where did you find this?

[allegroamabile]

Interesting, but 'Shostakovich reports'? Exactly where did you find this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_ ... ostakovich