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- Rimsky-Korsakov, Nicolai
Duration: 13 minutes
Description: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) originally composed Sadko, a Musical Picture, Op. 5 in 1867, revised it in 1869, and returned to the score for a final and extensive reorchestration in 1891–92, creating the standard version generally performed today. Based on a medieval Russian bylina concerning the legendary Novgorod minstrel and merchant Sadko, the work was one of the earliest important orchestral compositions produced by the nationalist circle known as “The Five” and is frequently identified as the first Russian symphonic poem. The program follows Sadko beneath the sea to the fantastic realm of the Sea Tsar, with calm, gently undulating music framing a colorful central episode depicting the underwater kingdom, its feast, and a Russian dance that accelerates toward a brilliant climax. Although considerably less frequently performed than Scheherazade or Capriccio espagnol, it remains historically important as a pioneering Russian symphonic poem and as a particularly revealing demonstration of how Rimsky-Korsakov transformed an inspired youthful score through the sophisticated orchestral technique of his maturity. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc).2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(3): Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.