Tsar's Bride: Overture

Description

The Tsar's Bride: Overture was composed in 1898-1899 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) as the orchestral introduction to his lyric-historical opera The Tsar's Bride, set during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and based on a drama by Lev Mey. The opera explores the collision of private lives with autocratic power, centering on the tragic fate of Marfa, whose innocence is destroyed by court intrigue and obsession. THE TSAR'S BRIDE received its premiere on November 3, 1899, in Moscow with Savva Mamontov's Private Russian Opera, and its immediate success marked a return by Rimsky-Korsakov to a more direct, lyrical style. The Overture distills the opera's emotional world. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc).2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp: Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.