MusiLLection

Portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov , master orchestrator and leading figure of the Russian National School. Renouncing the promise of glory, security, and adventure offered by a naval career, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov plunged decisively into the world of music. An aristocrat by birth and largely self-taught as a musician, he left his hometown of Tikhvin and gradually transformed himself from an enthusiastic amateur into a disciplined and conscientious professional. Despite his unconventional beginnings, Rimsky-Korsakov achieved distinctions that many of his contemporaries could only dream of. By the end of the nineteenth century, he had become—after Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky —one of the most celebrated and widely admired composers in Russia. As a member of the legendary group known as The Five , Rimsky-Korsakov initially embraced the ideals of Russian musical nationalism. Yet his early success was followed by a period of inner struggle. Haunted by doubts about his lack of formal music...

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born on March 18, 1844, in the small town of Tikhvin, 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of Saint Petersburg, near Novgorod, in northwestern Russia. He was the second son of an already 60-year-old retired civil servant Andrei and his second wife Sofya. From a very young age Nikolai wanted to be a sailor - like his uncle and his brother Voin, 22 years older than him. His parents, however, instilled in him a love of music from his two years of age and only the limited musical environment of his provincial hometown threw the weight of the scales towards the side of his naval career. Rimsky-Korsakov's mother,  Sofya Vasilievna Rimskaya-Korsakova Nikolai continued his piano lessons after his admission to the St. Petersburg Naval Cadet School in 1856, at the age of 12. However, only three years later, when he started piano lessons with the talented Théodore Canillé, he became interested in music. In 1861, Canillé introduced Rimsky-Korsakov to the young but f...

Costumes for Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade  by Léon Bakst. Written in 1888 is perhaps the most popular work of the composer. It was inspired by Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights), a collection of stories from the East of the 9th century. In the sheet music headline, the composer describes the following program:  "Sultan Schariar, convinced of women's infidelity, vows to execute his wives after the first night. But Sultana Scheherazade is saved by entertaining him with stories that last a thousand and one nights. Sultana arouses the Sultan's curiosity with her stories, and he constantly postpones her execution. He finally withdraws his terrible oath. Scheherazade told the Sultan many wondrous stories, combining the lyrics of the poets with the words of the songs and the fairy tales with the adventures". Movements : I. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship:  Largo e maestoso – Lento – Allegro non troppo – Tranquillo The inaugural measures of The Sea...

This cover of  Scheherazade , 1909, expresses the Eastern influences detected in the music. Operas: - Τhe Maid of Pskov (sometimes referred to as Ivan the Terrible ) - The Snow Maiden - Mlada - Sadko, Op. 5 - Mozart and Salieri, Op.48 - The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of His Son, the Famous and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and the Beautiful Princess Swan, Op. 57 - The Golden Cockerel Works for Symphony Orchestra: - Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 1 - Symphony No. 2, Op. 9, “Antar” - Fairytale, Op. 29 - Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34 - Scheherazade, Op. 35 - Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 - Sinfonietta on Russian Themes in A minor, Op. 31 Solo Instrumental music with orchestra or band: - Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, Op. 30 - Concerto for trombone and military band in B-flat Chamber music: - String Quartet in F, Op. 12 - String Sextet in A - Quintet in B-flat, for flute, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano - Allegro in B-flat, for string quartet Choral music: - Song of Ol...

This short music piece of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was originally written as an add-on for the opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan". The opera was first presented in Moscow in 1900 with a libretto based on a story by the great Russian poet Pushkin. The "Flight of the Bumblebee" accompanies a scene where the main character - a prince - transforms into a bumblebee. The unusual nature and pure descriptive qualities of this piece, inspired other musicians to make their own adaptations, usually for solo instruments. The popularity of this piece is in contrast to the rest of the almost forgotten opera music. A quick descending scale on the piano begins this perfect miniature portrait (in the adaptation for the piano). The opening measures o f the play serve not only as an introduction, but also set the stage - we hear the piano's attempts to mimic the buzz. From this point, the piano paints a vivid picture of the insect that its flying reminds, as much as no other, of the ...