Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35 Symphonic Suite

Featuring

Fabio Luisi
Orchester der Oper Zürich
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

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Composer Biography

Rimsky-Korsakov was largely self-taught in composition, despite being urged to write a symphony by his mentor Mily Balakirev, a spokesman for 'The Mighty Handful' composers.

Compositional Technique

In 'Scheherazade', the solo violin represents Scheherazade herself, telling her wondrous tales to the stern Sultan, serving as a unifying thread across the suite's movements.

Composition History

Rimsky-Korsakov interrupted his orchestration of Alexander Borodin's opera 'Prince Igor' to begin work on 'Scheherazade' in late 1887, completing it the following summer.

Performer Biography

Fabio Luisi, the conductor on this album, is the General Music Director at the Zurich Opera House, Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and Chief Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

Composer Biography

Rimsky-Korsakov became a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1871, teaching composition, harmony, and instrumentation to future composers like Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Rimsky-Korsakov's works synthesize the modal tonality of Russian folk music with dazzling chromaticism, which profoundly influenced the compositional development of Igor Stravinsky and others.

Composer Biography

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, born in 1844, had already sailed around the world by age 21, as his parents intended him for a naval career, before he decided to dedicate his life to music.