Russlan and Ludmilla Overture

Mikhail Glinka, arr. Frank Winterbottom
Performed by the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble October 22, 2011 in San Diego, CA.
Learn more about the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble: http://www.hillcrestwindensemble.com/
View the rest of the concert: http://www.dabanasa.com/hwe/2011Oct22/index.htm
Program notes:
Russlan and Ludmilla of 1842 was the second of
Glinka's two operas. It was not until after the
composer's death that Russlan and Ludmilla
acquired its popular success. Glinka spent most of
his final years in travel. In Spain, he collected folk
songs which he employed in two orchestral works.
In Paris in 1844, he met Berlioz, who had high
praise for the orchestral concerts the Russian
composer gave in the French capital. Glinka lived
for three years in Warsaw and died in Berlin while
on a visit in 1857 to Siegfried Dehn, one of his
composition teachers.
The libretto of Russlan and Ludmilla is based on
Pushkin's fairy tale. Just prior to her betrothal to
Russlan, Ludmilla has been spirited away from her
father, the Grand Duke of Kiev, by the evil dwarf
Tchernomor. Russlan perseveres through many fantastic adventures to
regain his beloved, and they are finally united in marriage in the opera's
final scene.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Hillcrest Wind Ensemble
• Glinka
• Winterbottom