1st Symphony (Rimsky-Korsakow)
The Symphony in E minor / E minor op.1 is the 1st symphony by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow . It was composed between 1861 and 1865 and was premiered on December 19, 1865 in Saint Petersburg . The work has a playing time of approximately 26 minutes.
sentences
The symphony is divided into four movements:
- Largo assai
- Andante tranquillo
- Scherzo: Vivace
- Allegro assai
Origin and history
Rimsky-Korsakov had already drawn up some drafts for upcoming works when he showed them to the composer Balakirew , from whom he himself sought compositional advice. He suggested that the plans for an E-flat minor symphony should be turned into reality. Rimsky-Korsakov, then 17 years old, saw this as a hopeless undertaking, as he did not yet have the theoretical basic requirements to the extent necessary. With the help of Balakirev, he began to write the symphony, with Balakirew taking over the beginning of the orchestration , with which Rimsky-Korsakov struggled. After a few months, the first movement, the finale and the scherzo were largely over.
The work was interrupted by a break of about two and a half years because Rimsky-Korsakov had to undertake a sea voyage to complete his officer training and Balakirev had to travel to the Caucasus. In 1865 Rimsky-Korsakov was finally able to complete the symphony. The premiere took place on December 19, 1865 at the Free Music School in Saint Petersburg.
In the spring of 1884 Rimsky-Korsakov revised his symphony strongly and comprehensively, and transposed the entire work into the key of E minor.
reception
Rimsky-Korsakov and his symphony caused a sensation and were largely well received. César Cui described the work as the “first Russian symphony”, partly because of the use of the folk song “Pro tatarskij polon” in the Andante. In this sentence, Peter Tchaikovsky praised the “freshness of the purely Russian harmonic expressions”.
literature
- Harenberg, cultural guide concert . Meyers Lexikonverlag, Mannheim 2006, ISBN 978-3-411-76161-6 .