Russian Easter Festival Overture Op. 36 (1888)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov was a master orchestrator and teacher of  many famous early 20th century composers including Stravinsky and Prokofiev. About the time he wrote his best-known work, Scheherazade, Rimsky completed this concert overture based entirely on the liturgical music from the Obikhod of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to his own program notes, his purpose was to illustrate “the transition from the gloomy and mysterious evening of Passion Saturday to the unbridled pagan-religious merrymaking on Easter Sunday morning”. It features unusual time signatures such as 5/2, 3/1 and 2/1 and illustrates Rimsky-Korsakov’s skill as an orchestrator of the modern romantic orchestra.

Performed: September 2017