Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai

International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov [1844-1906] was a Russian composer, a member of the group of nationalistic composers known as The Five. He is best known for his operas based on Russian tales and for his mastery of orchestration, as in Scheherazade, perhaps his best-known piece.

Piece	MP3	Midi	Genre
Flight of the Bumble-Bee		MIDI	classical piano
	Le Vol du Bourdon [The Flight of the Bumble-Bee] is a scherzo taken from the opera Le Conte du Tsar Saltan. [The Tale of Tsar Saltan]. In the opera, the prince is transformed, as one is, into a bumblebee, which darts around stinging the villains. My [rather battered] copy is published by Boosey and Hawkes, Ltd., of 295 Regent Street, London W1, and is marked Copyright 1928 by W. Bessel & Co., Bessel being the French publishers of this score. The arrangement for piano is by Joseph Strimer [1881-1962], a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, and a composer in his own right. It is thus perhaps more authentic than the version more usually heard, which is by Rachmaninov. The score claims that When played in public J. Strimer's name must be mentioned on the programs [sic] with the composer's name. Sequenced in 2023 from my above-mentioned copy together with other versions available at IMSLP. There are no pedalling indications, and pedalling didn't seem to add anything to the music, so there isn't any. The indication is Vivace MM 160-144, but I have taken it a little faster, in line with performances on the Web. Afficionados of virtuoso piano music should seek out the even faster and stunning performance by Yuja Wang of the Cziffra arrangement.

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Andy Walker, anw [at] cuboid4.me.uk [remove digit to construct address]