Anthology of Russian Ballet Music

From the fairy-tale colours of The Firebird to the tango of Shostakovich’s Golden Age, this anthology shows the full range of Russian ballet in fifteen showpieces. Stravinsky’s Round Dance of the Princesses and Infernal Dance open the programme, followed by the lavish melodies of Glazunov’s Raymonda (Grand Adagio and Spanish Dance). The Soviet era is vividly represented by the sailors’ dance from Glière’s The Red Poppy, the Basque Dance from Asafiev’s The Flames of Paris, Shostakovich’s Adagio from The Limpid Stream and Khachaturian’s Spartacus. Tcherepnin’s Armida’s Pavilion, Gavrilin’s tarantella from Anyuta, Prokofiev’s Cinderella waltz and clock scene, and the Pas de Deux from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker complete the selection.

Conductor Dmitry Filatov leads the Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra in a recording made live in the Grand Hall of the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic in Yekaterinburg in July 2025. The young players bring energy and character to these dances, with the immediacy of a live performance. For listeners, it is a ready-made introduction to Russia’s great ballet tradition, with rarities such as Gavrilin and Tcherepnin alongside well-loved classics.

Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra
Dmitry Filatov, conductor