Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Mainly known for his symphonic works, especially the popular symphonic suite Sheherazade, as well as the Capriccio Espagnol and the Russian Easter Festival Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov left an oeuvre that also included operas, chamber works, and songs. Rimsky-Korsakov's music is accessible and engaging owing to his talent for tone-coloring and brilliant orchestration. Furthermore, his operas are masterful musical evocations of myths and legends.
Born in 1844, Rimsky-Korsakov studied the piano as a child but chose a naval career, entering the College of Naval Cadets in St. Petersburg in 1856. However, he continued with piano lessons; in fact, in 1859, Rimsky-Korsakov started working with the French pianist Theodore Canille, through whom he met Balakirev, an important mentor and friend.
In 1862, after graduating form the naval school, Rimsky-Korsakov was at sea for two and a half years, devoting his free time to composition. Upon Rimsky-Korsakov's return to St. Petersburg, in 1865, Balakirev conducted his friend's First Symphony, which was hailed as the first important symphonic work by a Russian composer.
Rimsky-Korsakov was appointed professor of composition and orchestration at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1871. The following year, he married Nadezhda Purgold, a pianist. In 1873, Rimsky-Korsakov left active duty, becoming inspector of navy orchestras, a job which he held until 1884.
During the 1870s, Rimsky-Korsakov composed, conducted, and collected Russian folk songs. In 1878, he started composing the opera May Night, after a story by Nikolai Gogol, his first stage work based on a story containing fantastic motifs. Following the production of May Night, in 1880, Rimsky-Korsakov began work on Snow Maiden, based on Nikolai Ostrovsky's poetic retelling of a Slavic myth, which was performed in 1882.
Saddened by Mussorgsky's death, in 1881, Rimsky-Korsakov devoted himself to editing his friend's unpublished manuscripts. A master orchestrator, Rimsky-Korsakov felt obliged to help colleagues whose manuscripts needed revision. Thus, in 1887, when Borodin died, Rimsky-Korsakov agreed to orchestrate and complete Borodin's opera Prince Igor.
Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the Spanish Capriccio in 1887, completing the Russian Easter Overture and Sheherazade the following year. Having composed these resplendent works, however, Rimsky-Korsakov went through a period of despondency; there were deaths in his family, and, in 1893, Tchaikovsky died.
In 1895, Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve, another opera after a Gogol story, was produced. The composer's subsequent works recreated the rich world of Russian myths and legends. Sadko, completed in 1896, conjured up a medieval Russian legend. In 1901, Rimsky-Korsakov blended the legend of Kitezh and the story of St. Fevroniya to create a complex Christian-pantheistic narrative. Completed in 1905, the year when the politically progressive composer was temporarily dismissed from this teaching post, The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden, was produced in 1907.
Rimsky-Korsakov's last opera, The Golden Cockerel, completed in 1907, was inspired by a politically subversive story by Alexander Pushkin. The production of this work was a struggle, because the subject matter aroused suspicions among government censors. The opera was finally produced, in 1909, the year following the composer's death, by a private opera company in Moscow.
© TiVo
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Great Musicians, Great Music: Leopold Stokowski Performs Rimsky-Korsakov with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Classical - Released by YOYO USA Digital on 12 Jun 2012
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Supernova
Corona, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Pop - Released by KDM Exclusive on 3 Dec 2018
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Clasicos de Siempre - Korsakov
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 19 May 2015
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Classical Pieces
Classical - Released by Pipeline Music on 7 Jun 2006
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Classical Favorites - Riksky - Korsakov: Scheherazade Capriccio Espagnol
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC. on 7 Jul 2009
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Moja ekipa
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by KDM Exclusive on 17 Oct 2019
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Overture from 'The Maid of Pskov', Coriolan Overture to von Collins' play
State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Classical - Released by Pipeline Music on 8 Jun 2006
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Los Nacionalismos - Rimsky - Glinka - Borodin - Tchaikovsky
Classical - Released by JamadaDigital on 22 Feb 2015
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Gucci bluze
Corona, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Pop - Released by KDM Exclusive on 1 Oct 2020
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Moj put
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Bassivity Digital on 24 Jun 2014
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Oci Boje Viskija
Tanja Savic, Corona, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Folk - Released by IDJTunes on 24 Mar 2024
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Zbog Tebe
Edita, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Pop - Released by IDJTunes on 6 Feb 2024
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Gad
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Corona
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by IDJTunes on 26 Dec 2017
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U Dimu
Corona, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by KDM Exclusive on 21 Apr 2021
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Crni Džip
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by KDM Exclusive on 26 Mar 2018
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Tajne
Corona, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by KDM Exclusive on 2 Mar 2017
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Ulice Sam Ljubio
Corona, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by KDM Exclusive on 27 Jun 2018
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