Ruslan and Lyudmila is an opera in five acts (eight tableaux) composed by Mikhail Glinka between 1837 and 1842. The opera is based on the 1820 poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin's death in the famous duel prevented him from writing the libretto himself as planned. The opera has been a mainstay of the Bolshoi, having staged over 700 performances in 9 different productions over the past 165 years.