Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)
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Scheherazade (Шехерезада in Cyrillic, Šekherezada in transliteration), Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. Based on The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, this orchestral work combines two features common to Russian music, and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colorful orchestration and an interest in the East, which figured greatly in the history of Imperial Russia.
Contents |
[edit] Instrumentation
[edit] Structure, themes and musical material
The suite is divided into four movements. The composer was persuaded to give them programmatic titles as follows, but later removed them in favor of mere tempo markings and discouraged attempts to read literal storytelling into the music.
- I. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship (Largo e maestoso — Allegro non troppo)
- II. The Kalendar Prince (Lento — Andantino — Allegro molto — Con moto)
- III. The Young Prince and The Young Princess (Andantino quasi allegretto — Pochissimo più mosso — Come prima — Pochissimo più animato)
- IV. Festival At Baghdad. The Sea. The Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman. (Allegro molto — Vivo — Allegro non troppo maestoso)
The musical theme which opens the first movement is supposed to represent the domineering Sultan. But soon (after a few chords in the woodwinds reminiscent of the opening of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream overture), we hear the one theme that appears in every movement; this represents the character of the storyteller herself, Scheherezade, his wife, who eventually succeeds at appeasing him with her stories. This is a haunting, sensuously winding melody for violin solo, accompanied by harp. Both of these two themes are shown below.
[edit] In popular culture
- Movements 1 and 2 were featured in the movie The Man with One Red Shoe.
- Movement 1 was used in a fan restoration of The Thief and the Cobbler.
- Movement 1 was featured in the movie A Clockwork Orange when the main character Alex DeLarge imagines himself whipping Jesus.
