Russian Composers In Pop Music
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All you wanted to know about Russian Composers in Pop Music
I love to listen to Russian music. Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky Korsakov, Mussorgski, Prokofiev - they are ALL wonderful, the best great composers! Russian music and Russian composers seem to have taken all the best tunes, so pop music loves to crib from Russian composers.
This page is about the best Russian music used in pop songs. It is humorous, but also carries a serious message for music lovers searching for classical music online. An enormous amount of chart topping music is "recycled". Many buy classical music without realizing!
Only this week, I was watching the movie Shine about David Helfgott and what happened when he played Rachmaninov as a student. There is no doubt that Russian music has immense emotional power. Tin Pan Alley knew that, and many writers of popular music quote from Russian composers. Although I would not knowingly steal a Russian composer's tune as many rock and pop songwriters have, I confess to a fondness for Tchaikovsky which sometimes leaks through into orchestrations for my own recorded music. Here I show how some of the great Russian composers have contributed to the history of popular music. I hope you enjoy it!
Russian Composers 2012 Calendar by paulhelm
Contents at a Glance
Russian Composers - Borodin Polovtsian Dances
AKA Stranger In Paradise :)
Good news for those searching for a Prince Igor mp3! 1955 was a good year - it was the year my parents got married, and Stranger In Paradise was one of their favourite songs. "Hold my hand, I'm a stranger in Paradise.... da daaaa da da da da daaaaaaa"
Well, LOADS of people recorded that song, one of whom was Tony Bennett who did quite well with it! He got it to Number 1 in the charts, Bing Crosby, Don Cornell, Eddie calvert, The Four Aces and Tony Martin also made a packet as did the writers of Kismet! So, who wrote Kismet? It was a joint effort, but poor old Borodin, the chemist from Russia who composed part-time, was too dead to collect his royalties. Such is the way of genius....
Russian Composers - Buy Russian Music
Buy Music Russian Composers
Russian Composers - 1950s too long ago?
Russian Composers - even used in Hip Hop!
If Tony Bennett and the great Bing Crosby are too ancient history for you, I could maybe sell Borodin now with Warren G's version of Prince Igor from 1998. Although Borodin's opera Prince Igor is very long Warren G knocks it off for the impatient or operatically challenged in the space of a few minutes with this very street-wise rap number, happily cloned here by somebody else....
Borodin T Shirt
Related to Borodin?
Buy Borodin Prince Igor Album
Russian Composers - Borodin Album
I adore the original. Not to say I didn't enjoy the cheerful sound-a-likes too, but Borodin gives me a tingle every time....
Borodin - Prince Igor
Amazon Price: $22.99 (as of 02/14/2012)
If you are going for Borodin and you want to do it properly the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor are the absolute BEES. You might want to explore the rest of the opera too if you are really into music!
Borodin Polovtsian Dances
Here's a shorter version of the tingly, pretty bit! If this tune doesn't make you smile you must be made of marble!
Russian Composers - Borodin Polovtzian Dances Sheet Music
Straight and swing scores of Borodin's Polovtsian Dances
This product contains music composed by Borodin.
Peters' scoring: 3322 4231 T,P,Hp,Str (SATB ad lib)"
Mike Lewis arrangement based on Alexander Borodin's "Polovtzian Dance," is a swing version for young players, ranges are modest, rhythms basic and solos are written out to give all the brass players a chance to solo.
Tchaikovsky Statuette
Russian Composers - Bust of Tchaikovsky
Russian Composers - Jazzing Up Tchaikovsky!
(Plus those who live by the sword....)
Don't we just love modern instrumental versions of great classics? Even those for whom the orchestra holds no charm can be swept away by creamy electric guitars and honky saxes. Tchaikovsky was on to such a good thing here, not to mention Khachaturian. Again, it is a great pity they never lived to cash the royalty cheques preferring cholera and other sticky ends to the pop music industry!
The early great versions by The Cougars and The Cats may have slipped into obscurity, but the great switcheroonie goes on and on perpetrated by such celebs as Thomas Tantrum. Keep it up guys, you might just make number 1,000,000 in the Amazon Hit Parade soon.....
Russian Composers - Tchaikovsky Complete Symphonies
(For the REAL Music Lovers)
Tchaikovsky: The Complete Symphony Collection
Amazon Price: (as of 02/14/2012)
Tin Pan Alley recycled many of the wonderful themes from Tchaikovsky Symphonies before the charts were even invented and when music sheets were hawked on street corners by struggling singers.... No bigger collection of memorable tunes and passionate harmonies exists anywhere. If you loved Tchaikovsky enough to see Ken Russell's film you should own this at least!
Tchaikovsky Mousepad
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Mouse Pad by WeirdShirtShop
Russian Composers Khachaturian
Russian Composers - Theme from Spartacus
Didn't I say not to mention Khachaturian? Well, I can't let the opportunity pass without pointing out the ballet Gayaneh or the wonderful Theme from the Onedin line TV series - Spartacus that is....
Buy a Yamaha Saxophone
Get a Ravel Free....
Russian Composers - Prokofiev - I Believe In Father Christmas?
Or I Believe In Lieutenant Kije?
Greg Lake took the Troika theme from Lieutenant Kije, which is gorgeous in its own right, and turned Prokofiev's Sleigh Ride into one of the biggest Christmas Hits ever! Well done Greg!
Best of Prokofiev
Well, I thinkI need a whole series, not just one lens and guess what? I STILL have the great Sergei Rachmaninov to come! I have the feeling that he will be so collossal I need to do a lens all about him. However, here is a little Prokofiev to leave you with for now as it is well past pumpkin time and my eyeballs are falling out.
More classical music pages you might enjoy
Did You Enjoy Russian Remix?
Or Do You Prefer The Originals?
If not, can I interest you in a radioactive ice-cream then? Thank you for calling in and I hope you found this lens entertaining.
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Laniann
Nov 14, 2009 @ 6:58 pm | delete
- Congratulations on your win. Your old manager was not a good person. Great products you have here and they should sell out fast.
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jgelien
Nov 13, 2009 @ 1:46 pm | delete
- Wonderful lens. If I had the means I would definitely buy a piano from you. Your old manager was in the wrong business.
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Photahsiamirabel
Nov 10, 2009 @ 6:29 pm | delete
- Thank you all - I may not have sold a single piano (yet), but it was fun to write :)
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GrowWear
Nov 10, 2009 @ 6:26 pm | delete
- Congratulations for your win at the Best New Selling lens contest!
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Ramkitten
Nov 10, 2009 @ 8:32 am | delete
- Congrats on winning the Best New Selling lens contest! I wish the Manager at that piano store knew about this. Great job!
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Blog Posts About Russian Composers
About Photahsiamirabel
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by Photahsiamirabel
I am a musician, educator and writer. I like to smile, so I keep my lenses light hearted when I can. When I am not at work as a full-time employed... more »
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Borodin Prince Igor CD
Cheap classical CDs rule!
Borodin: Symphony No. 2 / In the Steppes of Central Asia / Prince Igor - excerpts (including Polovtsian Dances)
Amazon Price: $2.82 (as of 02/14/2012)
Amazon's classical music store includes this CD of Borodin's wonderful music to Prince Igor among the millions of cheap classical cds and mp3 music downloads! It inludes In the Steppes of Central Asia too.
Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake
Complete Ballet Swan Lake in MP3 Format
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake: Complete Ballet
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 02/14/2012)
Online music distribution at its best. If this is not already in your CD collection, or like me you enjoy listening to music on your computer this is excellent value. Buying the entire ballet rather than each separate song will save you $45! I was happy to find music for this. Of course, if it is only the Theme from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake that you want, that too is available here.
Prokofiev - Seven Symphonies and Lieutenant Kije
Four CD Deutsche Grammaphon Recording - Seiji Ozawa and Berliner Philharmoniker
Prokofiev: 7 Symphonies; Lieutenant Kijé
Amazon Price: $17.59 (as of 02/14/2012)
A magnificent recording of the Prokofiev Symphony Cycle and the original version of Lieutenant Kije with a baritone singing in Russian. All the quality you would expect from The Berliner Philharmoniker and the Deutsche Grammaphon label!
