Marche Solennelle, op. 18

Csar Antonovich Cui (1835-1918) was a Russian composer and music critic of French and Lithuanian descent. In this sideline he is known as a member of The Five, a group of Russian composers under the leadership of Mily Balakirev dedicated to the production of a specifically Russian type of music. As a composer, Cui is not typically Russian. He was strongly influenced by French and German music by composers such as Chopin, Berlioz, Liszt and Schumann in particular. Cui composed operas, choral music , chamber music , piano music , more than 200 songs and orchestral works among which this Marche Solennelle.