I wrote:

>>If You are a Russophile like me, f.x. of Valentin Silvestrov's music.

Daniel Beland replied:

>I love his two string quartets, but I don't really like the "minimalist"
>Fifth Symphony...  What are your favorite works by this composer?

Of the things I've heard, "dedication" (Symphony fo Violin and orchestra
1990/91) and post scriptum (Sonata for violin and piano 1990/91) both with
Gidon Kremer on teldec.  Monodia (1965), Postludim (1984), and the Fourth
Symphony conducted by Andrey Boreyko (on Space/DSB, possibly some of these
are out on Megadisc) I also have a weekness for his Kitschmusik for piano..
I'm ambivalent towards the cantata disc that Megadisc has issued, not sure
how I rate Silvestrov as a Vocal composer..

>Another great Russian composer, who passed away a few years ago, is Edison
>Denisov: His Symphony is quite impressive, but I also like his movie scores
>and someof his chamber music...

Indeed, even if I find Denisov a more uneven composer, but I seem to prefer
his later works (post 1980) like, Chamber Music for viola, harpsichord and
strings (1982), Chamber Symphony (1982), Chamber Symphony No. 2 (1994),
Concerto for two violas, harpsichord and stringorchestra (1984), Piano
Quintet (1987)

>And there is the music of another famous Russian composer I would like to
>discover as soon as possible: Yurij A.  Smirnov (1935-).  Have you heard
>his music? In North America, I can't find any recording of his music...

Nope, the only composer called Smirnov I have heard of is Dmitry Smirnov
(b.  1948), whose string quartets I regard highly.

Other russian (pre and post soviet) composers I hold in high esteem are:
Revol Bunin, Andrei Eshpai, Nikolai Kapustin, Mikhail Nosyrev, Nikolai
Peiko, Vissarion Shebalin, Otar Taktakishvili, Alexander Tchaikovsky, Boris
Tchaikovsky, Boris Tishchenko, Miecheslav Weinberg.  All worthy of seeking
out..

As Daniel pointed to, Onno van Rijn's Soviet composers site contains much
more info on these and other Russian/Soviet composers (including lists of
compositions and recordings..) [ http://ovar.myweb.nl/=A0]

peter lundin, gothenburg.se -  Counting the days: DDS 100 (1906-2006)