The son of a violinist and music historian, Rodion Shchedrin studied at the Conservatory in his native Moscow, where he later taught. In his music he makes use of folk melodies from various regions of the former Soviet Union.

Vocal, Stage, Orchestral and Chamber Music
Shchedrin’s stage music includes ballets (among them his Carmen Suite, written for his prima ballerina wife Plisetskaya, and The Hump-Backed Pony) and operas (including stage versions of Anna Karenina, The Seagull and Gogol’s Dead Souls). His orchestral music includes piano concertos, symphonies, and suites from his operas; and vocal music includes works such as Lenin Lives in the Hearts of the People – an oratorio for coloratura soprano and mixed chorus. A Chamber Suite of 1961 is scored for 20 violins, harp, accordion and two double basses. The orchestral Ozornïye chastushki (‘Naughty Limericks’) is a concerto for orchestra making use of the popular Russian chastushka – songs well known to the Russian public.