Mikhail Glinka:
"Ruslan and Lyudmila" Overture (with Score)
Composed: 1837–42
Conductor: Mikhail Pletnev
Orchestra: Russian National Orchestra

Glinka, considered the father of Russian Nationalism in music, is largely known for two works: the operas A Life for the Tsar (1834 - 1836) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1837 - 1842). Though the latter work met with a tepid reception at its premiere, while the former was an immediate success, Ruslan would eventually come to be ranked as his most influential effort, its rhythmically and harmonically inventive music rising above its mediocre libretto. Popular in the concert halls for a century and a half has been the work's perky overture, probably the composer's most widely performed orchestral piece. The Overture opens with a driving rhythmic figure that augurs the rhythmic styles of Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and so many other Russian composers from succeeding generations. There follows a vigorous, joyous theme that hustles and leaps about with seemingly unbounded energy. After this melody is presented in a slightly subdued guise, a second theme is heard, a lively but mellow creation especially in its first appearance, played in the middle ranges of the cellos. Later, the opening rhythm is recalled and the themes are developed somewhat as the mood turns playful. Another go-round of themes is given before a variant of the main theme leads to the brilliant and colorful coda. A typical performance of this work lasts about five to six minutes.

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