Sadko, a Musical Picture, Op. 5 [2nd version, 1892]

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) originally composed Sadko, a Musical Picture, Op. 5 in 1867, revised it in 1869, and returned to the score for a final and extensive reorchestration in 1891-92, creating the standard version generally performed today; based on a medieval Russian bylina concerning the legendary Novgorod minstrel and merchant Sadko, the work was one of the earliest important orchestral compositions produced by the nationalist circle known as "The Five" and is frequently identified as the first Russian symphonic poem. The program follows Sadko beneath the sea to the fantastic realm of the Sea Tsar, with calm, gently undulating music framing a colorful central episode depicting the underwater kingdom, its feast, and a Russian dance that accelerates toward a brilliant climax; Rimsky-Korsakov's fascination with the sea (particularly appropriate for a composer who had served as a Russian naval officer) combined here with the folklore, exotic harmony, and pictorial orchestration that would become defining characteristics of his mature music. The original Sadko had been premiered in St. Petersburg in December, 1867, under Mily Balakirev, with the revised 1869 version also performed under Balakirev, though the separate premiere for the 1892 revision is uncertain; rather, Rimsky-Korsakov subsequently conducted Sadko on a number of occasions in Russia and abroad, including Brussels in March, 1900, while Arthur Nikisch conducted it in the composer's presence in Paris in May, 1907. The 1892 revision was published that year in Moscow by, confusingly designated the "Deuxi?me version" because it was only the second version to reach print, despite actually representing Rimsky-Korsakov's third version of the composition; the composer regarded this revision as especially significant, observing in his autobiography that with it he had "settled accounts with the past," since all his substantial early works had now undergone revision. Several years later he returned to the same legend for his full-scale opera Sadko (1894-96), reusing material from the orchestral work, but Sadko, a Musical Picture, Op. 5 [1892 Version] has retained an independent place in the Russian orchestral repertoire; although considerably less frequently performed than Scheherazade or Capriccio espagnol, it remains historically important as a pioneering Russian symphonic poem and as a particularly revealing demonstration of how Rimsky-Korsakov transformed an inspired youthful score through the sophisticated orchestral technique of his maturity. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc).2.2.2: 4.2,3.1: Timp.Perc(3): Hp: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.