Synopsis

The entire sweep of Russian musical history is explored in this four-part series, beginning with its origins in ancient chants and folk music, stretching through to radical contemporary composers like Schnittke and Gubaidulina. Artistic director of the Kirov, Valery Gergiev, presents excerpts from the orchestral and vocal legacy of composers such as Mussorgsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.