Composer Gennady Gladkov has emerged as the most listened-to Russian film composer of 2026, according to streaming data released by music service KION Music. The platform shared its survey results with news outlet Gazeta.Ru on August 14, 2026, ahead of a major musical milestone.
Gladkov secured the top spot based on play counts across the digital streaming catalog. Audiences recognize his melodies from dozens of iconic pictures, including animated classic The Bremen Town Musicians, fantasy feature An Ordinary Miracle, and comedy film The Man from Boulevard des Capucines.
Mikael Tariverdiev ranked second in the listening study, which was conducted to celebrate what would have been his 95th birthday on August 15. Over his career, Tariverdiev composed scores for more than a hundred feature films and theatrical productions, including spy series Seventeen Moments of Spring and romantic comedy The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!
Top Composers in Russian Cinema
Eduard Artemyev claimed third place in the composite ranking. Widely recognized as a pioneer of Russian electronic music, Artemyev wrote the haunting soundtracks for director Andrei Tarkovsky's acclaimed films Solaris, Mirror, and Stalker.
Alexey Rybnikov placed fourth in the survey. His musical works feature in prominent family and coming-of-age films, including The Adventures of Buratino, About Little Red Riding Hood, and You Never Dreamed. Aleksandr Zatsepin completed the top five, having authored the scores for classic comedies directed by Leonid Gaidai, such as Kidnapping, Caucasian Style, The Diamond Arm, 12 Chairs, and Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession.
The top ten list of popular film composers also featured Veniamin Basner, known for The Shield and the Sword and Silence, and Andrey Petrov, creator of the soundtrack for Office Romance and Autumn Marathon. They were joined by Giya Kancheli, composer for Mimino and Kin-dza-dza!, alongside Maksim Dunayevsky, who wrote scores for D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers and Mary Poppins, Goodbye!, and Isaak Dunayevsky, known for Soviet classics Jolly Fellows, Circus, and Volga-Volga.
Most Popular Soundtrack Hits
KION Music also compiled data on individual movie songs that generated the highest play counts in 2026. Animated films dominated the highest spots, led by Song and Dance of the Ataman-woman and Robbers and Song of the Robber-Musicians and the Dispersal of the Guard from The Bremen Town Musicians. Troubadour's Serenade, from sequel On the Trail of the Bremen Town Musicians, also ranked among the top tracks.
The remaining top ten film songs included I Like That You Are Not Sick With Me from The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!, alongside Juno and Avos: Rezanov's Romance 'I Will Never Forget You' from the rock opera Juno and Avos. Listeners also heavily streamed Wake Up and Sing from Gentlemen of Fortune, Three Comrades No. III from At Home Among Strangers, A Stranger Among Our Own, and Snow Over Leningrad from The Irony of Fate.
The top soundtrack hits list was completed by The Last Poem from You Never Dreamed and Nobody Will Be in the House from The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!
