A journey into the heart of the Russian repertoire. Glinka’s overture erupts with color, rocketing to an exhilarating conclusion. The Introduction to Kovantchina is its opposite: all serenity and delicate beauty. Rhythmic vitality and spontaneity abound in Prokofiev’s most popular piano concerto. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony – a signature work – reflects deeply personal agonies and triumphs.

Benjamin Zander, guest conductor
Alexander Korsantia, piano

DID YOU KNOW?

Glinka’s overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila is the composer’s most widely known creation. The music has an “Eastern” flavor, enhanced by borrowings from folk music with allusions to Viennese dance music. (Source: The NPR Listener’s Encyclopedia of Classical Music)

Sergey Prokofiev was the last great composer to grow up in tsarist Russia and one of the first artists to leave the Soviet Union after the Communist revolution. He eventually returned as he found his homeland more in tune with his style and was filled with artists who shared a similar view of the world. (Source: The NPR Listener’s Encyclopedia of Classical Music)

It was not until his fourth symphony that composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky discovered the key to both melodic inspiration and mastery of form, allowing him to discover his voice as a symphonic composer. (Source: The NPR Listener’s Encyclopedia of Classical Music)