We’re going on a tour of the places that bring back memories about the
great 19th century Russian music classic, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Our
first stop is on the Neva River embankment where the Naval Academy once
stood and where, in July 1856, the 12-year-old Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
was brought from his quite backwater town of Tikhvin. Nikolai started dreaming
about the high seas from an early age eager to follow in the footsteps
of his much-loved elder brother who served in the Russian Navy.
 In his memoirs Rimsky-Korsakov
wrote: “I was a great fan of sailing ships and grabbed every opportunity
to go up the masts. I loved the sea and never feared it…”
Music was a must subject in that privileged naval institution and Nikolai,
whose musical talent had cropped out very early on, was working hard to
perfect his pianistic skills. “Lucia di Lamermour” by Gaetano Donizetti
played by an Italian company was the first opera the 13-year-old Nikolai
ever saw. Several moths later he was astounded by the majestic sight and
sound of Russia’s first opera, “Life for the Czar” by Mikhail Glinka.
The impressions he picked up watching those two masterpieces inspired Rimsky-Korsakov
to try his hand in writing his own music…
Our next stop is at 14 Voznesenskaya Street… Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov first
came here on November 26, 1861 and, from that day on, each Saturday he
would come here to meet Mily Balakirev and members of his Mighty Five music
society.
Balakirev was a close friend and mentor Rimsky-Korsakov writes so warmly
about in his memoirs.
“An excellent pianist, note reader and improviser, he would immediately
capture the essence, form and the weak points of the music the very moment
he heard it,” Rimsky-Korsakov writes. “His influence of the people around
him was absolutely amazing. Balakirev loved me as if I were his own son
and I was head over heels in love with him, taking his every word and opinion
as the absolute truth…”
Listening to the young composer’s first effort, Balakirev advised him to
start writing a symphony
right away…
Soon after, their regular lessons were cut short by Rimsky-Korsakov’s three-year
circumnavigation on board the Almaz clipper. Getting back home, he headed
straight to Balakirev’s where he met his future wife Nadezhda Purgold who
turned out to be a fine pianist too…
We are now heading to the Purgolds’ apartment where Rimsky-Korsakov was
now such a frequent guest. The hosts were music fans all and their daughters
Alexandra and Nadezhda were brilliant pianists both. Rimsky-Korsakov,
who was already writing profusely, was now working on a raft of new symphonies
inspired by literature. Nadezhda and Alexandra openly admired the young
composer’s imagination and melodic talent and enjoyed playing his music.
 We are now on our way
to Teatralnaya Square overlooked by the towering bulk of the St.Petersburg
Conservatory. In 1871 Rimsky-Korsakov was invited to teach composition
and arrangement there. Caught flat-footed by that surprise offer, Rimsky-Korsakov
eventually said “yes”. Years later he wrote: “…if only I knew more about
things, I would be able to better assess my potential and realize that
taking up a professorial job there was a stupid and not entirely honest
endeavor.”
By day he was holding classes and studying himself by night. An assiduous
professional, he meticulously made his way through the many subjects he
had to learn. He was much assisted in his effort by Pyotr Tchaikovsky who
drew up a special program for Rimsky-Korsakov based on the notes he had
once made during his student years.
“I was much aided then by the fact that my students just couldn’t imagine
I knew nothing about the whole thing… By the time they could realize that,
I had already made some catching up. Joining the Conservatory as a Professor,
I eventually wound up as one of their hardest working students,” Rimsky-Korsakov
later wrote.
During his 37-year stint at the St.Petersburg Conservatory, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
trained a host of would-be superstars. Eventually becoming one of Russia’s
biggest music authorities, Rimsky-Korsakov generously shared his knowledge
with his young colleagues, always a very demanding and nitpicking mentor
too…
During his first years at the Conservatory, Rimsky-Korsakov would report
to his classes donning a naval uniform. Only in 1873 did he finally discharge
from military service becoming an inspector of Russian military bands.
Never working in one place only, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov combined his conservatory
work with that of a teacher at Mily Balakirev’s Free Music School, conducting
the school’s choir and orchestra in public concerts. He also spent
months preparing the publication of a complete collection of works by Russia’s
first music classic Mikhail Glinka, he then spent several years completing
and editing unfinished works by his late friends Modest Mussorgsky and
Alexander Borodin, assisting in running the Royal Capella where, with Balakirev’s
help, he staged a full-scale revolution turning the concert-only outfit
into an excellent educational institution introducing a well thought-out
system of musical education for the young choristers and opening instrumental
classes for the orchestra…
Given all those time-consuming chores, one can only wonder how he possibly
managed to find time
for writing his own music. Especially if you know that Rimsky-Korsakov
wrote more music than almost any other Russian composer ever did…
Rimsky-Korsakov also left behind a wealth of excellent music written expressly
for educational purposes…
Eventually embracing the operatic genre, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a very impressive
15 operas many of which premiered at the Mariinsky Theater. Each time the
theater was rehearsing one of his operas, the pedantic author would show
up there every single day handpicking the singers, discussing the scenery
and the mise en scenes with the director. Always present during the rehearsals,
he reacted to every little mistake resulting in his premieres all being
painstakingly polished and invariably met with a standing ovation…
Many of Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas still grace the Mariinsky repertoire.
When they were marking the composer’s 150th birthday in 1994 the theater
offered a larger-than-life retrospective of music written by this great
Russian composer and the attending opera buffs had ample opportunity to
enjoy the enchanting versatility of his inimitable style…
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