ABRSM Grade 7 List B: Susanin’s Aria
Trinity College London Grade 7 Group A: Susanin’s Aria
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) is recognized as the father of the Russian national school and was a great influence on several generations of composers including Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Borodin, and Tchaikovsky. His early experiences in rural Russia strongly influenced his style, which is very distinct from German and French composers of the time.
His first opera, A Life for the Tsar (1836), established him as the leading composer of the day, and its national character and folk influences helped to create a new Russian musical language. It is considered to be his breakthrough work, which along with Ruslan and Lyudmila, paved the way for a more nationalistic style of composing.
Glinka’s life and work invite us to look deeper into how national identity and cultural heritage can be expressed through music. If you’re curious about the intricate relationship between his personal experiences and his compositional innovations, or how his influence permeated later musical movements, there’s a wealth of fascinating details to explore.
Glinka's 2 Russian Arias are from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov eight operatic arias for string orchestra in the mid-1880s. Taken from A Life for the Tsar (Ivan…
Glinka’s 2 Russian Arias are from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov eight operatic arias for string orchestra in the mid-1880s. Taken from A Life for the Tsar (Ivan Susanin) and Ruslan and Ludmilla, the first and last are for soloist and the strings and the others are for string orchestra.
Susanin’s Aria is the last of the suite and is for solo double bass and string orchestra. The slow and expressive vocal line makes effective use of the low and sonorous register of the double bass with a simple and supportive accompaniment. The middle section is more animated before a dramatic and inventive coda.
Ruslan’s Aria is the first work of the suite and was originally for solo cello and string orchestra. A slow introduction and accompanied recitative set the scene, leading into a lyrical and evocative aria with its gently moving and flowing accompaniment.
