The famous 'Flight of the Bumble-bee' from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan' depicts Prince Guidon, transformed into a bee, stinging his wicked aunts.
Composer Biography
Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, a composer featured on this album, originally intended a naval career and entered the Naval Cadet College at age fourteen.
Compositional Technique
Rimsky-Korsakov described his Sheherazade suite as a kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images and designs of Oriental character, with thematic material appearing in different forms to convey varying moods.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev, a composer on this album, encouraged the use of Russian themes in music as part of his campaign to create a truly Russian form of music.
Composition History
Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic suite Sheherazade was inspired by 'Tales of the Arabian Nights', reflecting the attraction of Islamic cultures for Russian composers seeking exotic material.
Composer Biography
Rimsky-Korsakov often completed and orchestrated works left unfinished by other composers of the new Russian school, including Dargomizhsky, Mussorgsky, and Borodin.
Historical Context
Balakirev, along with Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Cui, and Borodin, formed 'The Mighty Handful' or 'The Five', a group of Russian nationalists who aimed to create a distinctively Russian musical tradition.
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Tchaikovsky: Ouverture Solenelle Op.49 "1812"; Fantasy Overture "The Tempest"; Marche Slave, Op. 31; Fantasy Overture "Romeo And Juliet"
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, March Slave, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest
