Legends and Landscapes

While working to complete Borodin’s Prince Igor in 1887, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov decided to write a work inspired by elements of The One Thousand and One Nights. This collection of Middle Eastern, North African and South Asian folktales, compiled between the eighth and thirteenth centuries, is hugely varied. At its centre is the framing story of Scheherazade, who attempts to save her life by telling stories each night to the Shahryar (the King of Kings), after he decides that all women should be put to death. By ending each story at dawn with a cliffhanger, she keeps his interest, eventually changing his attitude and saving both her own life and the lives of others.

Rimsky-Korsakov initially gave the four movements the subtitles listed above, deliberately keeping most of them vague so they suggested a general atmosphere rather than a specific story. He later removed the headings altogether. Although the work is clearly programmatic, it can also be heard as a complete symphonic structure, with melodic ideas from the first movement woven throughout the entire piece.

The solo violin takes on the role of Scheherazade herself, framing the work with interjections and cadenzas. This creates a sense of a personal voice emerging from the larger drama: a storyteller whose intelligence and determination shape the music.

The question of Orientalism is important here too. Like Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, Scheherazade uses ideas associated with an imagined ‘East’ rather than directly representing the musical traditions of the regions connected with the stories. At the same time, Rimsky-Korsakov creates a vivid and emotionally rich world, and the role of Scheherazade herself is particularly striking: an intelligent, resourceful woman whose voice drives the narrative.

Rimsky-Korsakov is often considered one of the great masters of orchestration, and this piece demonstrates why. His writing creates an extraordinary variety of colour while ensuring that every instrumental line contributes to the overall shape of the music. As an orchestral player, the piece is particularly satisfying as the instrumental parts contain the perfect balance of variety and challenge. The difficult technical passages and moments of flexible tempo create a sense of immediacy and communication between the performers which brings the music to life.

The first movement begins with a powerful orchestral motif representing the Shahryar, followed by the solo violin representing Scheherazade. Both ideas recur throughout the work in different forms. These motifs then give way to a depiction of the sea, with the lower strings creating a sense of movement beneath sweeping melodic lines in the upper orchestra.

The second movement uses cross-rhythms, unusual phrase lengths and flexible changes of tempo to create a sense of improvisational, human storytelling and spontaneity. Through this, Rimsky-Korsakov develops a handful of ideas into increasingly complex musical threads, building towards a dramatic and epic climax.

The third movement is more lyrical and song-like, showing Rimsky-Korsakov’s gift for creating memorable melodies. The music shifts between deeply expressive passages and lighter moments derived from the same material, with the orchestration adding sweeps and splashes of colour and movement throughout.

In the final movement, the dramatic layers of orchestration become even more prominent. The increased drama of the solo violin’s material here suggests that the tension has increased both in Scheherazade’s narrative and her personal circumstances. The majestic sea of the first movement is replaced by storms and shipwrecks, and the music recalls ideas from earlier movements before building towards its greatest climax. Finally, after uncertainty and tension, the solo violin leads the music into a major tonality, creating a sense - at last - of resolution and relief.

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Programme notes by Benjamin Jackson