Sketches on a Russian Folksong (2020)

For Symphonic Orchestra

Score sample here.

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Korobeiniki is one of the most heard Russian folk songs around the world, being popularized as the “A” theme of the highly successful 1984 video game “Tetris.” The folk song, based on the poem of the same name, tells the story of a young peddler who falls in love with a peasant girl, offering up some of his wares in exchange for a kiss. She rejects all of his gifts except for one, a turquoise ring, as having his wares but not him would be too much to bear. The young peddler vows to marry her on his return from the market the next day. Unfortunately, he doesn’t live to see it through, as he is robbed and murdered by a forest ranger while returning home with his profits from a particularly successful day at the market. Through the use of motifs from the folk tune, this piece tells the story of this poem in a 10 minute, programmatic work.

Sketches on a Russian Folksong was composed for and premiered by the Ferndale Community Concert Band in the spring of 2019. The forces present in this band were very large, including sections of 10 horns, 15 clarinets, and 10 flutes. In writing the orchestral version, I tried to stay true to the thicker textures of the band version, but also did take some creative liberties with the orchestration in certain sections of the piece.