What is some good Russian classical music?

Question by Natalie: Good Russian classical music?

& if it has a video on Youtube, please provide the link

Answers and Views:

Answer by Velvet Horse
Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bszAvKbO3Zk&feature=PlayList&p=B25888B693BFED5B&index=0

Answer by petr b
Borodin: Polovtsian dances from Prince Igor

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances

Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite / Romeo and Juliet Ballet, Suite /
Cinderella Ballet; suite. / Symphonies / piano sonatas / Piano Concertos No1 – 5 / Violin Concertos No.1 & 2 / Cantata: Alexander Nevsky

Moussorgsky: choral scenes from Boris Godunov / Pictures at an exhibition / The nursery (song cycle)

Shostakovich: Symphonies / Piano concertos / 24 predludes and fugues (piano) / String Trios, quartets

p.b.

Answer by Aleks
This is mostly orchestral music, I hope that’s what you were thinking of!

Balakirev – Islamey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOUf-RD-sb0
(there is a full orchestra version too, but the solo piano version is the original)

Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherezade

(that’s only part 1, and the best version I’ve heard is by Valery Gergiev conducting the Kirov Orchestra. Here is part of that version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c5BFcw5onI )

Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSyoi0EGYBw
(Another huge piece, this is only part of it)

Borodin – Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmptWExyKEw

Scriabin – Poem of Ecstasy

(whoever posted this also included the second half, so you can hear the whole piece)

Mussorgsky – Night On Bald Mountain

Mossolov – The Iron Foundry

I love this, but I know that not everyone does!

Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 3

And finally, not strictly a Russian composer, but from Georgia, so he did live in what was the USSR:

Kancheli – Morning Prayers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqFK7iQiUzY
Again, this is part 1 of the piece.

I had a blast, digging around youtube, finding all this. Thanks for asking the question! 😀

Answer by Chris
I must humbly disagree with the suggestion of the Symphonic Dances; they are Russian and Romantic, but almost excessively so, particularly on the latter. While I am fond of Rachmaninoff, I find his originality as well as his least “dated” aspects of his sounds comes out in his solo piano works. While his Piano Concertos (seems like his orchestral works in general) suffers more from the “dated” sound they still have a level of chromaticism that’s a bit more in the line of Russian composers of his time and the juxtaposition is very nice, especially in his second and third concertos (both famous more from movie scores, but they are good).

I like Mosolov recently, a Russian avant garde composer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy6ZJ4V_m8k&feature=channel_page

Sergei Lyapunov is a nice Romantic composer with an older sound, very nice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt7wfKDixe0&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92KEByLGeIs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVBsjcppKmE&feature=channel_page

I’m also fond of Kapustin, a Russian Third Stream (from both jazz and classical but neither) composer:
a dissonant, fast one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kKoIwNryKs

a slightly videogame-sounding one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do1NJL4SIwE&feature=channel_page

I like all the lists of the other contributers as well, and also have to add on Kabalevsky, who I think is a bit hit in miss but his simple works designed for children’s education mixed with the more chromatic harmony of his fellow Soviet composers is pretty attractive: His Sonatinas are all nice, as well as the Piano Concerto.

Answer by kimisizer221
Tchaikovsky’s Violin concerto:

Tchaikovsky’s Piano concerto No. 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsvPMbC55A

Read all the answers in the comments.

What do you think?