EASTBOURNE RECORDED MUSIC SOCIETY
Eastbourne Today
Dec 9 2008
UK
One of the most gifted and fortunate of Russian national composers
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov was described by Clive Wilkes, president of
ERMS, as the Russian Mighty Handful.
Born into a wealthy family in Tsarist Russia Nikolai, although showing
a marked aptitude for music, always had an ambition to join the Navy
which duly happened. He continued to study music however and aged 18
took seriously the suggestion of his teacADVERTISEMENTher to write
a symphony. It took three years and was actually completed when his
ship was at anchor in Gravesend. Members were privileged to hear
the last movement of this early work the Allegro Assai followed by
Islamey with Shura Cherkassy playing the piano.
The true nature of his creativity was an ability to conjure up worlds
of fantasy with a unique command of orchestral colour which mainly
took the form of freely constructed suites with magical themes. Clive
Wilkes gave members an amazingly varied programme of quite stunning
music including the magnificent Russian Easter Festival Overture
performed by the USSR Symphony orchestra, The Tale of Tsar Sultan
‘The Three Wonders’ by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra with Loris
Tjeknavorian, and extracts from Scheherazade.
No programme on Rimsky Korsakov could be complete without mention of
the group known as ‘The Russian Five’, mainly amateur composers whose
shared ideals finally created the truly national style of music we
now call Russian.
They were Mily Balakirev, a very capable conductor, Mussorgsky, a
government clerk, Cezar Cui, a military officer, Borodin, a research
chemist and illegitimate son of a prince, and, of course, Rimsky
Korsakov himself.
Without him we would probably never have heard Borodin’s Prince
Igor. Borodin left his score on the floor of his Dacha so Korsakov,
with help from Mussorgsky, worked on it to produce the opera we
know today.
The recorded music society meets fortnightly on Thursday evenings.
For information telephone 738995.