Festival in Russia

Festival in Russia is a transcription for concert band of Anatoli Lyadov's dazzling orchestral work, Polonaise (Op. 49). Written at the turn of the century, its energetic dance rhythms and melodic expressiveness will bring a delightful Old World charm to today's audiences.

Lyadov (1855-1914) was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and succeeded him as the composition teacher. (One of Lyadov's most notable students at the Conservatory was Sergei Prokofiev.) At the time the Polonaise was written (1899), Lyadov was at the height of his profession and one of his era's most respected and widely-known composers.

The first performance of this transcription for concert band was given by the West Virginia University Wind Symphony at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 24, 1988, Don Wilcox conducting.

Program Note from score