While today's orchestral literature abounds in works by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and numerous twentieth-century Russian composers, Glinka stands as the only significant representative of Russian music before 1850. He is generally acknowledged as the father of both Russian opera and the Russian school of musical nationalism. While the operas A Life for the Tsar and Russlan and Ludmilla are his most important works, he also wrote more than one hundred songs, as well as pieces for orchestra, solo piano, and chamber ensemble. Nearly all of his music strives to establish a Russian character: the works with texts all draw upon Russian history, literature, or poetry, while the instrumental music incorporates folk tunes or characteristic dances.
Russlan and Ludmilla is based on a dramatic poem by Alexander Pushkin, who was prepared to write the opera's libretto before being killed in a duel in 1837. Ludmilla is the daughter of Svietosar, the prince of Kiev. She has three suitors, of whom Russlan is her favorite, but when she is abducted by the evil dwarf Tchernomor, Svietosar promises her hand to whomever can rescue her. Russlan wins a magic sword on the battlefield, which he eventually uses to defeat Tchernomor, but Ludmilla has been placed in a deep sleep and cannot be wakened. Only when the kind wizard Finn provides Russlan with a magic ring is he able to revive Ludmilla and win her hand. The overture, which is based on music from the opera's final celebration scene, is an audience favorite with its flashy string writing and unrelenting rhythmic drive.