Festival in Russia is a transcription for concert band of Anatoli Lyadov's dazzling orchestral work, Polonaise (Op. 49). Written at the turn of the century, its energetic dance rhythms and melodic expressiveness will bring a delightful Old World charm to today's audiences.

Lyadov (1855-1914) was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and succeeded him as the composition teacher. (One of Lyadov's most notable students at the Conservatory was Sergei Prokofiev.) At the ...