Late RomanticNikolaï Rimski-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in Russia.
Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1844👶 Birth
Born in Tikhvin on 18 March into a noble family
- 1856📚 Trainingage 12
Naval Cadet School in St Petersburg
- 1861🎩 Careerage 17
Meets Balakirev and joins ‘The Five’
- 1862🧳 Journeyage 18
Nearly three-year voyage around the world on a warship
- 1871🎩 Careerage 27
Professor of composition at the St Petersburg Conservatory
- 1872❤️ Private lifeage 28
Marries the pianist Nadezhda Purgold
- 1874🌍 Meanwhile
First exhibition of the Impressionist painters
- 1875🌍 Meanwhile
The Palais Garnier opera house opens in Paris
- 1887🎼 Workage 43
Capriccio espagnol
- 1888🎼 Workage 44
Scheherazade and Russian Easter Festival Overture
- 1889🌍 Meanwhile
The Eiffel Tower opens for the World’s Fair
- 1900🎼 Workage 56
The Tale of Tsar Saltan, with Flight of the Bumblebee
- 1903🌍 Meanwhile
First powered aeroplane flight (Wright brothers)
- 1908🕯️ Deathage 64
Dies at Lyubensk on 21 June
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Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in Russia. As a boy he dreamed of becoming a sailor like his big brother. He went to naval college and even sailed round the world for almost three years on a warship!
But he also loved music. He became a teacher at the Conservatory, and he learned while he taught! He was a magician of the orchestra: his music shines in a thousand colours.
In Scheherazade a violin tells stories from the Thousand and One Nights: the sea, Sinbad’s ship, a great feast in Baghdad. And in The Flight of the Bumblebee the violins imitate an insect buzzing at top speed!
For him each key had a colour: C major was white.
Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov’s instruments
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