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1861, St Petersburg. Crowds gather outside the Winter Palace as news spreads that Tsar Alexander II has freed Russia's serfs. More than twenty million people gain their liberty, in a reform that reshapes Russian society and transforms the way artists think about their country. As writers, painters and composers look beyond the aristocratic culture of St Petersburg, they increasingly turn towards peasant life, folk traditions and Russian history for inspiration. Figures such as Mikhail Glinka, Mily Balakirev and the composers of the "Mighty Handful" seek a musical language that reflects Russia itself rather than the conventions of western Europe. From Glinka's pioneering use of folk song to Mussorgsky's revolutionary realism and Rimsky-Korsakov's colourful orchestral storytelling, a new Russian music begins to emerge. These composers create works that continue to shape ideas of Russian identity long after the reforms of the 1860s have passed into history. Gillian Moore is joined by a roster of distinguished historians for this major new Â鶹Éç Radio 3 series, charting a course through 1000 years of classical music history. For the next eight programmes, historian Kate Williams is in the chair, as together they explore the rich musical world of the nineteenth century. Producer: Megan Jones Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford Story Consultant: Kate Leys Series Editor for Â鶹Éç Audio: Emma Harding Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the Â鶹Éç National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan. MUSIC DETAILS Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov – In the Palace of the Kremlin (Final Scene) Houston Symphony Orchestra Leopold Stokowski (conductor) Mikhail Glinka: Kamarinskaya Â鶹Éç Philharmonic Orchestra Vassily Sinaisky (conductor) Mily Balakirev: Overture on Three Russian Themes USSR Symphony Orchestra Yevgeny Svetlanov (conductor) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 – Finale Modest Mussorgsky: Night on a Bare Mountain Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov – Kromy Forest Scene Chorus and Orchestra of the Berlin Philharmonic Claudio Abbado (conductor) Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – The Great Gate of Kyiv Mily Balakirev: Islamey Lang Lang (piano) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade – II. The Story of the Kalendar Prince Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask Â鶹Éç Sounds to play Key Changes."