Scheherazade (NCPE. Nieweg, Holmes)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ranks among the most significant Russian composers of the 19th century and, as a member of "The Mighty Five," played a decisive role in the development of an independent Russian musical tradition. His gift for creating orchestral colours of extraordinary richness and splendour reaches its undisputed pinnacle in “Scheherazade”, Op. 35.

Premiered in 1888, this symphonic work in four movements draws on the rich imaginative world of “One Thousand and One Nights”. Rimsky-Korsakov portrays the cunning storyteller Scheherazade, who saves her life night after night through her tales. A distinctive solo violin theme embodies the clever sultan's daughter, while the orchestra unfolds the magnificent scenes of her stories: the sea and Sinbad's ship, the Kalendar Prince, the young prince and princess, and the festival in Baghdad.

Musically, the work combines virtuosic orchestral writing with melodic inventiveness and exotic oriental colouring. Rimsky-Korsakov masterfully fused Western symphonic forms with the flavour of Eastern musical traditions, creating one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the symphonic repertoire.