Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: String Sextet, Quintet for Piano and Winds, Schéhérazade

Featuring

Pavel Hůla
Miloš Černý
Zbyněk Paďourek
Josef Klusoň
Václav Bernášek
Michal Kaňka

Jan Riedlbauch
Vlastimil Mareš
Miloš Wichterle
Vladimíra Klánská
Ivan Klánský
Pierre Monteux
Hugh Maguire
Kocian Quartet
Prague Philharmonia Wind Quintet
London Symphony Orchestra
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Rimsky-Korsakov explicitly stated that his symphonic suite Scheherazade was not intended to literally tell a story, and he removed the original movement titles from its second edition.

Performer Biography

Pierre Monteux, the conductor for Scheherazade, had one of the longest musical careers on record, starting violin studies at age six and making his conducting debut at age twelve.

Composition History

The String Sextet and Quintet for piano and winds were entered into a chamber competition organized by the Russian Music Society, but the prize was won by Czech composer Eduard Nápravník.

Composer Biography

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the composer, had a career as a naval officer until 1873 before dedicating himself full-time to composition, teaching, and conducting.

Critical Reception

Rimsky-Korsakov's Quintet was initially "massacred by a drudge named Cross" at the competition, but received an enthusiastic public performance later that year.

Compositional Technique

Scheherazade features two main themes: a loud, stern theme representing the Sultan and a sinuously seductive violin and harp theme representing Scheherazade herself.

Composition History

Rimsky-Korsakov took private harmony and counterpoint classes from Tchaikovsky, even after being appointed a professor of composition and orchestration at the Conservatory.