What is Russian symphonic music like—large-scale, emotional, melancholic, loud? At this concert, we relish a panoramic view from the beginnings of Russian national music to the present day, bringing us closer to an answer.

Glinka was one of the first great Russian composers whose Ruslan and Lyudmila has been proclaiming the triumph and power of love as well as of reconciliation since it was composed. What the audience loves most about Rachmaninoff - who lived at the turn of the 20th century - is the exact same thing as what his contemporaries approached him for the most: romantic, exuberant emotions. The success of our contemporary, Alexei Ribnikov, one of the most sought-after Russian composers living today, lies in his music's ability to reveal the Russian Romantic tradition, the influence of the modern age, and new ways of listening.