Ruslan and Ludmila Overture (Miller)

Mikhail Glinka is regarded as the founder of Russian national opera. His opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, composed between 1837 and 1842 and based on Alexander Pushkin's verse epic of the same name, laid the foundation for an independent Russian musical tradition that would profoundly shape subsequent generations of composers, from Balakirev to Rimsky-Korsakov.

The overture to this opera ranks among the best-known and most frequently performed orchestral pieces in Russian Romanticism. Its exuberant energy and brilliant orchestration reflect the fairy-tale heroism of the source material. Dashing string passages, radiant brass, and an irresistible forward momentum lend the work a thrilling festivity that has made it the very embodiment of symphonic virtuosity in nineteenth-century Russian music.

In terms of sound, Glinka unites the formal conventions of Western Europe — in particular those of Viennese Classicism and Italian opera — with a distinctly Russian musical character. This synthesis, which gives the work a quality that seems ahead of its time, established the overture as a key work of the national school, and early performances are said to have provoked enthusiastic reactions from audiences.