The monumental painting by Ilya Efimovich Repin (1844-1930), “Slavic Composers”, was painted by him in 1871-1872 for the hotel and restaurant “Slavic Bazaar”, situated on Nikolskaya street, building 17. after the end of the Great Patriotic War it was placed inside the building of the Grand Hall of the Conservatory in the place of the stained-glass with the depiction of St. Cecilia, which was destroyed in October 1941 by an explosion caused by a German landmine bomb which struck the building.
This painting has found a new location for itself after the restoration of the building in 2011.
In the foreground Repin depicted Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804–1857),
Prince Vladimir Feodorovich Odoyevsky (1804–1869) and Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov in a military form.
In the background Aleksandr Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky (1813–1869), is sitting on a chair, behind him there is Ivan Feodorovich Laskovsky (1799–1855), and to his right is Aleksey Feodorovich L’vov (1798–1870) in a court military uniform, listening to Aleksey Nikolayevich Verstovsky (1799–1862), who is speaking to him.
Near the piano we can see the two brothers, Anton Grigor’yevich Rubinstein (1829–1894) and Nikolay Grigor’yevich Rubinstein (1835–1881). Aleksandr Nikolayevich Serov (1820–1871) is standing between Anton Rubinstein and Aleksandr L’vov. Behind this group we can see Aleksandr L’vovich Gurilyov (1803–1858), Dmitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky (1751–1825), Pyotr Ivanovich Turchaninov (1779–1856).
In the right-hand upper section of the picture Repin depicted a group of Polish composers: Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872), the farthest to the right is Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), Michal Kleofas Ogiński (1765–1833), Karol Lipiński (1790–1861) against the background of the door.
In the left-hand lower section of the artistic canvas there are portraits of Czech musicians: Eduard Frantsevich Nápravnik (1839–1916) who is the farthest to the left, then Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884), Karel Bendl (1838–1897), Václav Horák (1800–1871).
The artist depicted a meeting of these musicians, many of whom had never seen and could not see each other, since they lived in different times. The painting presents an allegory, symbolizing the unity of Slavic composers.
