The lasting influence of Russian music and literature.

The first Russian music I listened to in earnest was the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. That was in 1983 and, looking back, it was as good a place as any to start. As I wend my way through the classical music greats, I frequently find myself being drawn back to the great Russian composers from that magical era.

Although I have been drawn to the great music which emanated from the Impressionists, I still gravitate to the dependable tones of Borodin and the anguish of Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky. I consider Rimsky Korsakov to be the hidden gem from this era and never tire of listening to his music. As with all great composers, I take something new away every time I listen to him. His Rhapsody Espagnole in particular stands out due to its subtle Iberian evocation. His Young Prince and Young Princess from Sheherezade is exquisite. Of course, it was Rimsky Korsakov who orchestrated the great Pictures at an Exhibition. The latter is a magnificent piece which never fails to move me.

It has been suggested that to write great prose or great music, you must first have suffered. There can be no denying that the Russian people have suffered more than most over the years so it is perhaps unsurprising to witness the avalanche of inspiring music and literature which they produce. If the musical composers have left an indelible print on our musical landscape, the Russian writers have done just as well.

I adore reading Pasternak with his wry observations of human weakness but think that Dostoyevsky is the true master. Nobody can portray human frailty in quite the same way. His great novel, "Crime and Punishment" is a towering achievement of honesty. Latterly, I have come to appreciate the works of Solzhenitzsyn. His depictions of Stalinist life are heartbreaking in their clarity and you feel for the lives of each and every one of the marvellous characters.

But back to the Russian music. Can there be any piece more evocative of the genre than "The Steppes of Central Asia" by Alexander Borodin? Like the present Pope and Margaret Thatcher, Borodin was a chemist by trade but the differences end there. He was truly a giant of a composer and he would be the one I would always go back to. There is a truth to his composition which is like an dependable old friend. For all that I love other composers such as Chopin, Liszt, Schubert and Mahler, it is to the Russians I go when I seek solace and reassurance.