Glinka: "Ruslan and Lyudmila" Overture (with Score)

Mikhail Glinka:
"Ruslan and Lyudmila" Overture (with Score)
Composed: 1837-42
Conductor: Mikhail Pletnev
Orchestra: Russian National Orchestra
Glinka, considered the father of Russian Nationalism in music, is largely known for two works: the operas A Life for the Tsar (1834 - 1836) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1837 - 1842). Though the latter work met with a tepid reception at its premiere, while the former was an immediate success, Ruslan would eventually come to be ranked as his most influential effort, its rhythmically and harmonically inventive music rising above its mediocre libretto. Popular in the concert halls for a century and a half has been the work's perky overture, probably the composer's most widely performed orchestral piece. The Overture opens with a driving rhythmic figure that augurs the rhythmic styles of Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and so many other Russian composers from succeeding generations. There follows a vigorous, joyous theme that hustles and leaps about with seemingly unbounded energy. After this melody is presented in a slightly subdued guise, a second theme is heard, a lively but mellow creation especially in its first appearance, played in the middle ranges of the cellos. Later, the opening rhythm is recalled and the themes are developed somewhat as the mood turns playful. Another go-round of themes is given before a variant of the main theme leads to the brilliant and colorful coda. A typical performance of this work lasts about five to six minutes.

[@chadweirick67]

Holy Toledo I had to double check the video wasn't playing at 1.5 times the speed!

[@gaydvorak7053]

Holy... That's FAST Still loved every second of it

[@Bucky58]

You can speed it up or slow it down on KZbin which makes it even more interesting

[@micahmaynard8732]

This was the opener for my first ever concert with an orchestra. I’m a tuba player who had never had the chance until I was given the opportunity to play with a youth orchestra as part of a state clinic. The conductor took time to transcribe a tuba part for me, seeing as how there isn’t one originally. It was an awesome experience, and this piece will always have that special meaning to me

[@paulwl3159]

Amazing performance, actually scary how the articulation remained faultless despite the extremely fast tempo. For my nerves would have been more comfortable with a slower speed, but how exhilarating !! Just recovering now after a day's rest.

[@Suth1172]

Currently playing this in an orchestra rn (Double Bass). Someone put me out of my misery, or at least convince my conductor to take a slower tempo...

[@sgtsalmon]

Fellow Double Bass here... The shifting is brutal, and we aren't even up to 100 bpm yet, much less 135 (half note of course)

[@marshadowking7859]

@@sgtsalmon I’m also a double bass and I agree. Very rough. It helps to shift up the string though rather than deal with the all the string crossings. Also play as staccato as you can. That got me through with about 90% accuracy at 135 (I’m pretty sure 100% is impossible lol)

[@sgtsalmon]

@@marshadowking7859 thanks

[@alexadicocco]

Violinist here! We did this last semester and the shifting was terrible! I’m used to getting 1st stand at least but this piece shoved me down at third :((( 0/10. It sounded great though!!!

[@pattibatchelder7469]

My parents were BOTH double bass players - I feel your pain! But it's such an exciting piece... THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLOOD, SWEAT, TOIL, AND TEARS, as Winston Churchill would have put it. It's one of my favorite pieces. (My dad played it the last time I saw him play. Can you hear the violin section playing?) I immediately noticed how fast your performance was and decided to send the link to 2 friends who are not () big on classical music. Suggest to your conductor that your orchestra play John Alden Carpenter's "Adventures in a Perambulator." Nobody ever plays it, it's accessible for non-afficionados, and it's whimsical. I am not a musician, but it sounds relatively easy to play. Again, IANAM - there be some tricky stuff. . Most people have NO idea how long and hard you have to work to play well. Bravo!

[@thepurplecat1714]

i have to play some of this for my audition- there’s no way

[@neiltheblaze]

Hopefully not at this tempo!

[@allisong9807]

same Im gunna die

[@jolo33]

me too

[@MrInterestingthings]

This tempo would have been impossible for any orchetra in the mid19th century. Compare this to the score A Life for The Tsar and one is amazed at Glinka's bold inventiveness . He was a genius -where and how this great music came out of early 19th century Russia I' must find .The brass writing and string writing is incredible.

[@Queeen7q]

Since Glinka's time, Russian music has reached the European level in the full sense of the word: as contagiously cheerful as Italian music; as deep and carefully made as German music; as colorful and variously orchestrated as French theatrical music.

[@carlkulzer5982]

I don’t know how they can play at this break neck tempo. Bravo.

[@AP47735]

Whoa just had to check whether I had the playback speed set to 1.25 but they just play that fast 🤯

[@ClarinetMate]

Somehow I think of this piece very often in my head, like during a shower, but I never get to remember the title, nor that Glinka wrote it 🙈

[@iamwhalien52]

I played this about 1 year ago as a 1. Violin. It ended up being quite fun, but I don’t think we played it so fast. But basically the first page was fast and fun, and the rest was hard because you had to count a lot.

[@coasterdragon155]

PS Seating Auditions: First Violins: 0:20 Second Violins: 0:20 Violas: 0:20 Cellos: 1:00 Basses: 0:05 Please note that the recording in this video is insanely fast (I don't even know if we'll ever make it to this tempo). Put the video on 0.5x or 0.75x to practice with this one!

[@samuelcabellogonzalez7590]

Now definitely one of my favourite overtures with Smetana's "The bartered bride" one. ❤❤😊😊🎉🎉

[@ccguy66]

Good lord. Did that orchestra have a bus to catch? They blazed through that.

[@yuliastone9704]

Love the tempo

[@fernandopereirabinder2942]

4:03: escala de tons inteiros; whole-tone scale.

[@jtvliberty5510]

More like the trombones at 4:11.

[@evankajikawa1277]

this orchestra took this at about half note=160 😅 (glinkas tempo is half note=138)

[@chloechloe3166]

We preformed this at 180 😭🥲

[@sofiaj5221]

4:05

[@user-by3un5ei5h]

it's a very good video, but I would like to note that "with score" translates into Russian as "с партитурой"

[@ArsenyDonoff]

Совершенно верно!

[@billxrl4154]

Holy FUCK

[@davidpanton3192]

New to me, but alrerady saved to Long Term!

[@user-ko7fr9ii4u]

0:07 1:00

[@jenkinsfamily2229]

Which orchestra/conductor recorded this piece?

[@woohaa-om4ll]

0:19

[@nickwerner7983]

Burbank Video Logo

[@chasm.]

Anyone here from cabin pressure

[@ashleydixonmusicandcovers]

Mom theme song

[@weekendvideointheyoutube7918]

Burbank Video logo

[@petermekaev147]

Hou Mitch is BPM?

[@dooknaps7641]

If I had to estimate based on tapping on a metronome I'd say half note=160 and that's probably being generous

[@keiraschmal7402]

it’s half note = 135 😬

[@MBulteau]

Although it says minim = 135 on the score, he opens at 185 and settles around 175 after the main theme. He returns to 185 for the recap, and then back to 175. For the piú mosso at the end, he ramps up to 215. Incidentally, if you play the video at playback speed 0.75, it opens at minim = 138.

[@richardtomasek]

Too fast. Go hear Reiner's with Chicago.

[@karllieck9064]

There's no sound.

[@dariusbecker1455]

Glinka be to lazy to write 32nd notes and above

[@benkogambit5497]

Twoset

[@omarpartida6661]

No it's mom

[@GUILLOM]

No it's mom

[@quinn7894]

@@omarpartida6661 No it's tiger mom

[@marshadowking7859]

L

[@trhkaowbnna6618]

i hate this video

[@herobrine1847]

How cooooome😊

[@coasterdragon155]

Womp womp

[@madi-tv2sb]

0:19