Hanging By A Crotchet - 13: Music of Imperial Russia with Benjamin Robson

Despite being one of the most significant players in classical music history, Russia didn’t really develop a classical music tradition until the mid-19th century, far later than many of its European counterparts. After Peter the Great began to Europeanise the nation in the 18th century, classical music began to make its way to Russia. Yet, as there were no classical music institutions in the nation at the time, talent had to either be imported, or exported to be trained elsewhere. It wasn’t until Mily Balakirev
ingeniously began combining Russian folk music with Western classical music (an idea that would soon spread all across Europe) and Anton Rubinstein founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory that a unique Russian style emerged and one of the great classical music traditions was born. From this tradition would emerge great and influential composer such as: Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. This week we will examine the birth of this tradition and history of Russian music across the 19th century and up to the revolution.