ON. Rimsky-Korsakov "Scheherazade" (Scheherazade): history, video, content

ON. Rimsky-Korsakov "Scheherazade" (Scheherazade)

The symphonic suite of N. Rimsky-Korsakov "Scheherazade" crowns with itself the list of beautiful works of the middle and the end of the XIX century, based on oriental themes. Among them are "Khovanshchina" by Mussorgsky, "Ruslan and Lyudmila" Glinka, and "Prince Igor" Borodin, and many more chamber-vocal and symphonic compositions. During this period, Russian composers especially attracted the motives of the mysterious East, and they willingly included them in their creations. But Rimsky-Korsakov could most deeply feel this theme, and embody its subtle nuances in his suite.

History of creation

In letters to a close friend of Glazunov, Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov admitted that the idea of ​​an orchestral suite based on the fairy tale "1000 and 1 Night" was born to him a long time ago, but he decided to start it only in 1888. At this time, the composer, along with his relatives, was in the estate of a close friend near St. Petersburg. According to the author, the first bars were given to him with great difficulty, but soon he began to get about what he had in mind. This could not but rejoice Nikolai Andreevich, whose writing activity has recently faded into the background.

In the 1980s, Rimsky-Korsakov took the position of one of the most authoritative and sought-after music figures. On his shoulders lay the work of the professor of the conservatory, and participation in the management of the Court Singing Chapel, and collaboration with the publisher MP. Belyaev. In addition, he could not disregard the unfinished works of many of his friends, musicians, and took them to finish writing.

There was not always enough time for own creativity, but, nevertheless, the suite was successfully started and completed in less than a month. It is easy to establish by the dates specified by the author on the score: 1 part - 4 July, 2 part - 11 July, 3 and 4 - 16 and 26 July, respectively. Initially, each part had a title, partly revealing its content, but in the first edition the headlines disappeared at the request of the composer himself. Thus, it still remains unclear exactly what fragments of Scheherazade's fairy tales underlie the parts of the suite.

For the first time, Sheherazade was presented to the public in October 1888 at the first Russian symphony concert. The orchestra was conducted by the composer himself.

Interesting Facts

• Suite "Scheherazade" became one of the works presented in the "Paris Seasons" of the Russian ballet school in 1910. The performance conquered the French connoisseurs with both the musical system and the oriental flavor that was superbly conveyed with the help of L. Bakst's costumes.
• After the second production of the ballet "Scheherazade" to the music of Rimsky-Korsakov in the "Paris season" of 1911, V.A. Serov created an incredibly large curtain measuring 12 by 12 meters for subsequent performances.
• Ballet production received a second life in 1994 with the light hand of Andris Liepa. Not only M.Fokin's choreography was completely recreated, but also the costumes of the heroes were re-sewn according to L. Bakst’s sketches. Since then, Scheherazade has regularly appeared on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater and other leading theaters of the world.
• Oriental motifs "Scheherazade" excited the minds of musicians in the XX-XXI century: there are several options for processing excerpts from it. For example, in 1968, the legendary group Deep Purple in one of their albums presented a version of the performance of the first part on the electronic organ. In 1971, the processed version of the suite was released as part of the album by the group Collegium Musicum. In 2005, Scheherazade was adapted for wind instruments and presented in this form by the M. Patterson Orchestra. In 2010, Scheherazade XXI sounded at the jazz festival in Moscow - a treatment of jazzmen I. Butman and N. Levinovsky.
• The source of the story for "Scheherazade" - a monument of Arabic literature based on the folk tales of India, Iran and Arab peoples, became widely known in the XVII century. In Russian, "1000 and 1 night" was translated from French in the 1760s - 1770s. Rimsky-Korsakov became the first composer who was not afraid to turn to this plot - he frightened many with his cruelty and excessive frankness in some episodes.
• Rimsky-Korsakov was a participant in the round-the-world voyage, and this allowed him to become a master in creating the image of the water element by musical means. In Scheherazade, this is also his unsurpassed skill.
• Initially, Scheherazade acquired the classical form of a suite under the author’s pen, since each of its parts received its own programmatic comment and title. But after the composer refused to name the parts in favor of their simple numbering, the work became more like a symphony. Hence the current full name "Sheherazade" - a symphonic suite.
• In the Olympic Park in Sochi, you can see a show of dancing fountains to the music of "Scheherazade". A fragment of this suite was also voiced at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• In the creative heritage of Prokofiev there is a “Fantasy on the theme of Scheherazade”, created on the basis of the work of his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov.
• Maurice Ravel always proudly said that his reference book was the Scheherazade score by Rimsky-Korsakov, from which he often learns the instrumentation. In 1903 he wrote his "Scheherazade" - a vocal cycle of three poems for voice and orchestra.
• In 1907, the German astronomer A. Kopff discovered an asteroid, which was called "Scheherazade".

Content

The suite consists of four parts, which are completely complete separate episodes, but combined with some leitmotifs. For example, the theme of Sultan Shahriar, as it is called, is represented by sharp menacing unison of brass and string instruments. The Scheherazade theme, on the contrary, is voiced by a solo violin with a harp accompaniment - it charms and fascinates, forcing to listen to oriental sound intricacies. Both themes will be modified in the course of the plot, but will remain recognizable even at the end, when Shahriar’s heart softens along with the strings that have passed to pianissimo.

First part was named the author of "The Sea and Sinbad Ship." The entry is marked by the appearance of Shahriar, and then the narrator herself, Scheherezada. Then comes the turn of the sea theme - the strings are complemented by wind chords that transmit peals of the waves, and then the gentle flute draws the ship’s run across the sea. The storm develops an alarming sound of strings, sharper shrieks of the wind, a tangle of themes in the chaos of the storm. But soon peaceful peace returns.

The second part of - "The Story of Tsarevich Kalander" begins with the theme of the main character, and gradually turns into a bright oriental melody. It is quite intricate - the author plays with timbres, imitating a tense and fascinating narration. In the middle of the piece, the theme of battle arises, resembling the theme of Shahriar, but not related to it. The flight of the legendary bird Ruch appears on the background of the battle scene with the sound of a piccolo flute. Completion of the part - the transition from the theme of the battle to the theme of the prince, interrupted by cadences.

At the base third partbearing the name "Tsarevich and the Princess", there are two themes that characterize the main characters of the story. One of them, the theme of Tsarevich, is more lyrical, melodic, the second complements it with playful intonations with intricate rhythmic patterns. Themes are developed, intertwined with each other, acquiring new bright colors, but at one point they are interrupted by the Scheherazade theme performed by a violin solo.

Part four, called the composer "Baghdad Feast. Sea. The ship breaks on a rock with the Bronze Horseman" includes a combination of almost all the main themes of the suite from the previous parts. Here they are fancifully intertwined, filled with new shades, and create a picture of frantic fun. The holiday is replaced by a sea storm, in the image of which Rimsky-Korsakov has reached perfection. In conclusion, the theme of Shahriar appears, but it is clearly not as sharp and harsh as in the beginning - the formidable Sultan still succumbed to the charms of the beautiful Shherezade.

The use of music in the cinema

The magnificent imitation of Rimsky-Korsakov to oriental motives to this day remains one of the great musical works, which cinema directors take as the main theme. Almost everywhere, it sounds quite appropriate, giving the film or a single episode depth and a kind of understatement.

List of films in which you can hear excerpts "Scheherazade":

• "El Baysano Jalil" - Mexico, 1942.
• "Lost in the harem" - USA, 1944.
• "Song of Scheherazade" - USA, 1947
• "Curse of the Tomb of the Mummy" - United Kingdom, 1964.
• "Caucasian Captive" - ​​USSR, 1967
• "Clockwork Orange" - United Kingdom, 1971.
• "Nizhinsky" - United States, 1980
• "The man in the red shoe" - USA, 1985.
• "Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown" - Spain, 1988.
• "Shadow Dances" - USA, 1988
• "Tom Tumbas meets Thumbelina" - USA, 1996
• "Vazlav Nijinsky Diaries" - Australia, 2001
• "The Master and Margarita" - television series, Russia, 2005.
• "Gradiva is calling you" - France, 2006
• “Clean Beats Everything” - Denmark, 2006
• Trotsky - Russia, 2009
• "To the last moment" - Germany, 2008.

Before the creation of "Sheherazade" Rimsky-Korsakov experienced a kind of creative crisis. But this did not prevent the composer, but, as if on the contrary, helped to create a piece of inimitable beauty. The suite continues to be loved and listened to so far, it is undergoing many processings and transcriptions, and this does not make it worse. She still fascinates with the rhythms of the East and builds in her mind the uniquely beautiful images of Scheherazade, the sea element and the starry Arabian night, filled with the magic voice of a charming storyteller ...