Mikhail Glinka founded Russian nationalism in music, and A Life for the Tsar (also known as Ivan Susanin) is his masterpiece. This 1991 Sony Classical recording features a strong cast of Russian singers led by conductor Emil Tchakarov. The opera tells of a peasant who sacrifices his life to save his tsar, and Glinka's music weaves folk melodies with grand operatic gestures. Vocally demanding and theatrically powerful, the score swings from intimate village scenes to massive choral tableaux. The orchestration is brilliant and colorful, capturing the work's essential character and narrative sweep with commitment and warmth.