Glinka is often recognised as one of the first major Russian composers, influencing The Five (Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov).
His opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, based on Pushkin’s 1820 poem, was premiered at the Bolshoi in St Petersburg in 1842. Set in Kiev, it opens with the wedding of Ruslan and Lyudmila where they are told there will be great misery for them follow by joy. Two monsters abduct Lyudmila on behalf of an evil sorcerer called Chernomor.
Her father Svetozar, the great Prince of Kiev, says whoever saves her can have half of his kingdom. Various adventures featuring Ruslan and others in various places attempting to find her ensure. Lyudmilla, longing for Ruslan, is magically put to sleep. Ruslan kills Chernomor, and with the other men returns her to Kiev. She will not awake until (guess…) her true love kisses her, which Ruslan does, and there is celebration.
The most famous part of the opera is the Overture, which is hugely energetic:
The Listening Project Blog 