Introduction

       Hey everyone.  This is my first post for my Russian Classical Music blog, so I suppose an introduction is in order.  I'm Andrew, I play piano mainly, and I've studied a lot of classical music.  I'm also a student of Russian History, so I thought I would combine these two interests in a blog.  As the blog progresses, I plan on tracing the history of Russian music through the 19th and 20th centuries, and how the music produced relates to its historical background.  I am also interested in exploring Russian music's relationship with traditional Western classical music, and how this may or may not parallel Russia's political relationship with these countries.  This will include looks at all the major Russian composers, from Glinka to Schnittke.


       Russia has produced some of the most unique composers the world has ever known, and each composer has such a distinct sound.  Think of the melodies of Tchaikovsky, the colors of Rimsk-Korsokav, and the hard-driving rhythms of Stravinsky.  All are so different, yet distinctly Russian, and full of character.


       Next time I will start with a look at Russia's first important classical composer, Mikhail Glinka, who lived in the first half of the 19th century.  

        I'd like to leave you with a selection from one of my favorite pieces of music by a Russian composer.  This is the 1st movement of Stravinsky's Sonata for Two Pianos, written in 1943.  This video is just the recording... in the future I will try to find good live performances to post.  Until next time.


-Andrew