Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in 1844 in Tikhvin. From childhood, he learned to play the piano; however, initially, he did not decide to pursue a musical career and at the age of 12 entered the Imperial Naval School in St. Petersburg. In the meantime, encouraged by his piano teacher F. A. Canille, he began studying composition with Mily Balakirev, the leader of a group of young national composers, among whom were Alexander Borodin, César Cui, and Modest Mussorgsky.

In 1868, he composed the first Russian national opera titled 'The Maid of Pskov'. Three years later, while still serving in the Navy, he became a professor at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg, a title that was temporarily revoked in 1905 due to his opposition to the introduction of new disciplinary methods for students. Nevertheless, Rimsky-Korsakov retained his position as a professor at the Conservatory until his death.

From 1874 to 1881, he was the conductor of concerts organized by the Free Music School, and from 1886, he conducted the Russian Symphony Concerts. He also dedicated much time to collecting Russian folk songs and reviewing the works of Mikhail Glinka, as well as orchestrating the works of his colleagues (e.g., 'Prince Igor' by Alexander Borodin, 'The Stone Guest' by Alexander Dargomyzhsky, 'Boris Godunov' or 'Khovanshchina' by Modest Mussorgsky).

In 1887, he returned to composition. His most notable works were created after this year. These included the symphony 'Caprice Espagnol', the symphonic suite and ballet Scheherazade, operas: 'The Night Before Christmas', 'Sadko', 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan', from which comes the famous 'Flight of the Bumblebee', 'The Golden Cockerel', reflecting his political views.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a master of orchestration. His symphonic creativity influenced composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. His style primarily contains national elements combined with Russian folk melodies enriched by the singing of the Orthodox Church. He was an outstanding conductor and educator, the author of many treatises on orchestration and composition. He was particularly renowned for the rich colors and harmonies of his operas. He died in 1908 in St. Petersburg.

'Caprice Espagnol' Op. 34 performed by the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre – Theatre of Opera and Ballet in St. Petersburg. Conductor: Valery Gergiev.

Adagio from 'Scheherazade' performed by the Orchestra and Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Principal dancers: Igor Kolb and Jiyeon Ryu. Choreography by Mikhail Fokin.

'Flight of the Bumblebee' performed by Das Kleine Wien Trio.