Sergei Rudnev and a Discussion of Selected Works from the Russian Collection Volume III

Sergei Rudnev’s collection of Russian folk songs arranged for the classical guitar provide an opportunity for musicians to learn about rural and urban Russian folk songs. Russian guitarists are well-aware of Rudnev both for his classical guitar compositions and for being a great performer. His pieces are performed often in recitals and competitions in Russia. Rudnev is even considered a “national treasure”, yet his popularity in the west is not comparable. The most well-known piece is The Old-Lime Tree, yet others within The Russian Collection Volume III deserve just as much attention. I have chosen to write this treatise on three of the pieces that I performed for my Doctoral Lecture Recital: The Wanderer’s Song, The Old-Lime Tree, and The Snowball Tree. I have also included a fourth piece, Dance Song, to represent the faster folk-dance styles. These four pieces represent some of the different genres of urban and rural Russian folk songs found within the collection. This treatise is meant to be used as a helpful resource for those guitarists seeking additional information on the works found in The Russian Collection Vol. III. Along with my discussion of the pieces, I will also include a short biography of Sergei Rudnev, as well as the series editor, Matanya Ophee. I was fortunate enough to come across Rudnev’s email address by means of a correspondence with the 2012 Guitar Foundation of America winner, Rovshan Mamedkuliev. I then conducted an interview with Rudnev and have included it in this treatise. The only problem that I encountered with interviewing Rudnev was that he only spoke Russian. I was fortunate enough to find a translator that would work within my budget, and Rudnev was incredibly kind and willing to be interviewed. The entire email correspondence will be included in both Russian and English in this treatise.