The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams

Nikolai Rimski-Korssakoff - His Music and Life

Born in Tichwin-Nowgorod on March 18, 1844, the Russian composer Nikolai Rimski-Korssakoff passed away in Lubensk-St. Petersburg on June 21, 1908. Alternate he studied music and visited the navy academy, which made it possible for him to join a world sailing tour.

His leisure time at sea, Rimski-Korssakoff made use of composing his first symphony; by the way: this work has been played for the first time under the conductor Mily Balakirew in 1865.

1871, Rimski-Korssakoff became Professor for Instrumentation and Compositions at the St. Petersburg College of Music. His strict self-training and contra dot studies brought him into an extraordinary position among all other Russian composers. Almost all Russian composers belonging to the younger generation passed through his musical instructions.

His operas went for Russian legends and fairy tales: "Sadko" (1898, very known "The Song of the Indian Merchant"), "The Night in May" (1880); por"Tsar Sultan" (1900, very known "The Flight of the Bumble Bee").

Brilliant orchestral works have been "Scheherazade". "Cappricio Espagnol" or "Russian Easter".

His biography has been published in German language already in 1928.

P.I.Tschaikovsky: SCHWANENSEE/Swan Lake - Waltz - Wolfgang Sawallisch

TSCHAIKOVSKY: SCHWANENSEE/SWAN LAKE: GRAND THEME AND PAS DE DEUX FROM A CONCERT IN ME...

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade - IV (1/2)

Serge Prokofieff - His Music and Life

Born in Sonzowka-Jekaterinoslaw/Russia on April 23, 1891, Serge Prokofieff passed away on March 5, 1953. His father was an estate trustee; his mother taught him effusive music classes.

At the age of 9, Prokofieff couldn't read or write, but being able to compose, he started with his first opera. His teachers have been all very well-known: Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956), Anatol Liadow (1855-1914), and Nikolai Rimsky-Korssakof (1844-1908).

The "Piano Sonata f-minor" from 1909 became his Opus 1. In 1913, Prokofieff played his "Second Piano Concerto in g-minor" for the honorable dedication of Serge Diaghilew (1872-1929).

At the end of his studies in 1914, he won the "Rubinstein Trophy".

Prokofieff's ballet "Ala and Lolly" became a flop; some pieces from this ballet, known as "Skythetic Suite" became a scandal in 1916. Prokofieff's ironical hemisphere, especially remarkable in his piano pieces "Sarcasm" (1912, opus 17) widened certain uneasiness among music lovers. 

His "Symphony classic d-major" (1916/1917) became a continuous success.

After the Russian revolution 1917-1918, Prokoieff pulled out to live abroad in Japan, U.S.A., and Upper Bavaria/Germany.His opera "Love to Three Oranges" (1919) also flopped; only the opera march remained as hit up to now.

The children's opera "Peter and the Wolf" is classical music equipment. I grew up with this antique record (by the way, the first in my classical music collection), when I started playing piano at the age of 4 sometime in 1957.

Prokofieff composed fantastic ballet works: "Romeo and Juliet" (1935), "Cinderella" (1941-1944 during World War II), or "The Stony Flower" (1949).

During my stay in Russia in 1981, Prokofieff's ballet works became main parts of Moscow's theatres. Prokoieff's last work (opus 125) has been "The Concerto for violin cello and orchestra", which has been dedicated to Msistlaw Rostropowitsch, a great violin cello virtuoso from the Moscow College of Music.

 

Serge Prokofieff: Peter & The Wolf