Anatoly Lyadov - Sarabande in G minor (audio + sheet music)

Composer Anatol Lyadov composed many short works that remain in the general keyboard repertory. He also wrote orchestral music but left several large works unfinished, including a ballet commissioned by impresario Serge Diaghilev; the commission went instead to Igor Stravinsky, who produced The Firebird in response. Lyadov (his name has been transliterated in various ways, and his last name is often spelled Liadov) was born in Selishchi, southeast of St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 11, 1855. His family was intensely musical, and his grandfather, father, and uncle were all prominent conductors. In 1870, Lyadov enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, studying piano and violin. He also took composition classes with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov but was expelled for absenteeism. However, his talent impressed several members of the group of nationalistic Russian composers known as The Five or The Mighty Handful, and he was permitted to reenroll and to complete his graduation requirements, including a composit