It's a mystery how one type of music can influence us in such a profound way.

On June 17, the videoconference "History Of Russian Music" was held, organized by the Department of International Relations of the UDA and dictated by the expert Harvey Nystrom.

Nystrom, who has participated in two Russian operas and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, told Campus how his love for Russian music was born and the time he was at the University of Azuay.

When I was about 10 years old, my mother bought me some symphonic music records. I remember some Russian pieces that I found particularly attractive, such as Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Rimski-Korsakov's Spanish Capricho, and Borodin's Polovstian dances.  

My best friend also had a recording of Rimski-Korsakov's Sheherazade that he listened to constantly.

When I was already in the University I discovered the opera.

So I bought a recording of Boris Godunov, a magical combination of theater and Russian music that I had loved as a child, performed by the great George London.

I still have a copy of that interpretation.

In college I took classes in Russian and Russian literature, which deepened my love for all things in that country.

As I like to cook, I learned how to make Russian dishes like borsch soup, piroshkis and sweets.

In 1993 I was able to visit Russia and went to see the tombs of some great composers, including Godunov. However, I was unable to buy tickets to the opera because the country was going through a series of political struggles and the theaters were closed.

I love the lower voices of men in Russian music. I have sung in some choirs and I have a deep voice, I am a baritone. I like to try to sing as low as possible.

Russian music stands out for its sonority and its composers experiment with different and unusual combinations of instruments. I love the harmony of their folk songs and orthodox religious music.

In a way it has been a mystery to me how one type of music can influence in such a profound way, but it does.

Although it is not exactly about Russian music, I remember that when I was in Cuenca I saw a production of History of a soldier by Stravinsky at the University of Azuay and I loved it.

That piece is not Russian, but it looks a lot like it. They really played it very well.