Alexander Serov

As a Russian composer and critic Serov succeeded in being remembered in the annals of musicology for his ascerbic pen and lasting influence on the music of later composers in his homeland. Though his critiques could be taken seriously, perhaps they should not for if Serov was at odds with someone for anything, their music was rapined with a sharpened foil. If he happened to meet a composer, which was a splendid pleasure for him as was the case with both <a href="spotify:artist:1385hLNbrnbCJGokfH2ac2">Liszt</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1C1x4MVkql8AiABuTw6DgE">Wagner</a>, he could not help but sing their praises loudly and vociferously. Serov had a very narrow opinion when it came to his criticism of composers and often, as described above, weighted his decisions based on personal biases. Though not a prolific composer or even a very talented one two of Serov's operas have had a lasting impression: "Judith" and "Rogneda". The crowd scenes in "Judith," which received seventy performances between 1865 and 1870, inspired Mussorgsky's crowd scenes and the Russian folk opera "Rogneda" influenced <a href="spotify:artist:284mnx33IWcymQEpMxyfHl">Mussorgsky</a> through its dramatic import. Dance music within both of the operas influenced <a href="spotify:artist:3MKCzCnpzw3TjUYs2v7vDA">Tchaikovsky's</a> ballet music and the folk melodies and textures were imitated if not quoted by <a href="spotify:artist:2kXJ68O899XvWOBdpzlXgs">Rimsky-Korsakov</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:34MYamymtmnsmpwbqydd7I">Borodin</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2V5Fnwup32wFPAtMi2vmXq">Balakirev</a>. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi