Russia before the Revolution - a land of colourful contrasts - of elegant mansions, snowy lamp-lit boulevards, jingling sleigh-bells and brilliant Oriental minarets - and of endless, empty steppes stretching away to the east. A land where peasants sang as they tilled the soil, fiercely preserving their nations roots and culture. A land whose music is built on their wistful folksongs and widely uninhibited national dances - from the traditional song sung by the Volga River boatmen, to the glorious tunes of Borodin, Kalinnikov and Rubinstein; Mussorgsky's musical tour of an art-gallery, Rimsky-Korsakov's Oriental fantasies, and the inexhaustible melodies of Russia's greatest composer, Tchaikovsky. Here you'll find all the most famous themes from his world-famous ballets - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker, concertos and symphonies; side-by-side with Rachmaninov's great themes from his second Piano Concerto, Prokofiev's whimsical children's fantasy Peter and the Wolf, and the famous 'Onedin Line' theme from Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus. A great musical heritage here!
