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 natural roots and culture. A land whose music is built on their wistful folksongs and wildly uninhibited national dances – from 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, Tchailovsky. Here you’ll fins 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 is here!