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Russian operas and orchestral works draw attention by great variety of two European dances: polonaises and waltzes. Theses dances took root in the Russian "artistic soil" and gave rise to many masterpieces. They are a remarkable phenomenon of Russian music.
Alexander Glazunov enriched the Russian waltz history by orchestral pieces and ballet scenes.
"Waltz Capriccio" is one of the best orchestral works by Arthur Rubinstein.
Waltzes of Pyotr Tchaikovsky are a precious page of Russian musical heritage. His waltz in "Eugene Onegin" is the base for the entire scene of the "Ball at the Larins".
The Polish solemn dance-procession, polonaise, penetrated into Russian life and has been influencing Russian composers since the end of the 18th century. While instrumental and choral polonaises were written by predecessors of Mikhail Glinka, it was he who transformed the polonaise from an attribute of court life into a genuine Russian art. Polonaises in "Cherevichki" and "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky, in "Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky and "Christmas Eve" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov bring festivity to these operas.
Waltzes and Polonaises by Russian Composers
A. Glazunov
1. Waltz from the ballet "Raymonda" - 5:15
2. Waltz from the ballet "Lady Soubrette" - 6:11
3. Waltz from "Ballet Suite", Op. 52 - 5:44
A. Rubinstein
4. Waltz capriccio - 6:11
P. Tchaikovsky
5. Waltz from the opera "Eugene Onegin" - 6:33
N. Rimsky-Korsakov
6. Polonaise from the opera "Christmas Eve" - 4:39
7. Polonaise from the opera "Pan Voyevoda" - 6:52
M. Mussorgsky
8. Introduction and Polonaise from the opera "Boris Godunov" - 6:35
A. Glazunov
9. Polonaise from "Ballet Suite", Op. 52 - 5:33
P. Tchaikovsky
10. Polonaise from the opera "Cherevichki" - 6:10
11. Polonaise form the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" - 4:04
The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Conductor, Evgeni Svetlanov