Greetings From Russia - Czech Orchestras perform Russian Works (1988)

The birth of Russian national music culture in the 19th century is closely connected with Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857). Glinka is a key figure, a founder, for he knew how to bring out the typical characteristics of Russian music in his works. He drew inspiration from a previously untouched source, from folklore, and held the same position in Russian music as his contemporary, Pushkin, in Russian literature and poetry. With his works, he joined the ranks of European romanticists who had recognized the world of folklore as a fresh source of new ideas. Glinka's symphonic variations Kamarinskaya (1848) are a typical example whereby original folk melodies are worked on and turned into an orchestral overture which reflects the optimistic side of life. The same can be said of the symphonic fantasy Jota aragonesa (1845). This work was inspired by Spanish folklore with which Glinka became acquainted on his travels through Europe. The sources for both works are identical - life itself! Glinka's music was an inspiration and model for many other 19th century Russian composers. In particular, the members of the so-called "Mighty Five" gave him their support: this was a group of composers who succeeded in portraying national programmatic tendencies in their works and who set Russian music on the move. Mili Balakirev (1837-1910) was one of the initiators of the group in which musicians of varying creative inclinations and abilities came together. Balakirev's visit to Prague, where he studied Glinka's two operas, provided the background for his symphonic poem In Bohemia (1867). The balladic composition was written on motifs from
Czech songs - two dance songs and a lyrical one. The oriental touch is typical for compositions of this time and is a result of continuous contact between Russia and Asia. This oriental element is very evident in works by Alexander Borodin (1833-1887), and he makes effective use of the exotic sound world in his only opera Prince Igor. The world of the Eastern Polovtsians contrasts with Igor's Christian world. Borodin did not complete the work. It was finished for the most part by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), who was responsible for the instrumentation of the Polovtsian Dances. He transformed them into a suite with a delightfully exotic mood and spontaneous dance rhythms. Rimsky-Korsakov is represented as a composer in his own right on this recording by his overture Russian Easter Festival (1888). In this work, he has taken original orthodox melodies and worked them into a colourful and brilliantly orchestrated portrait. The festive splendour of a religious ceremony blends with the excited mood of the crowd enjoying a holiday. Peter Ilytch Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was not a member of the "Mighty Five", unlike the composers already mentioned, but he too strove to write works in which typical national features were prominent. The Marche slave (1876) is an occasional composition, based on Russian and Serbian themes. The work was an overwhelming success, for it aroused Russian sympathy for the struggle of the Yugoslavs against Turkish predominance which led to the Russo-Turkish War in 1877.