Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov is called the greatest storyteller in the history of Russian music and The Tale of Tsar Saltan – his most joyful opera. Based on Pushkin’s theme, it was composed to coincide with the centenary of the genius of Russian poetry, so the composer tried to follow the original Pushkin’s text as closely as possible. And, indeed, the poetic lines of the immortal fairy tale literally tickle one’s imagination, prompting the musical solution: the magical squirrel sings: “In the grove or in the garden…” and the Swan Princess “speaks the Russian language.”
Rimsky-Korsakov wanted to compose music which would match Pushkin’s fairy tale – something Russian, lubok- and fair-like. The composer was so successful in incarnating this vision that after the opera premiere he became known as “the musical Pushkin”. Rimsky-Korsakov preserved both long, bylina-like name of the poem and Saltan’s peculiar features, such as naivety, good-natured humour, fast “dancing” rhythm, folklore storytelling techniques and national ethnic flavour.
The compositional method itself, which the author perceived as “grid drawing,” is a detailed artistic illustration akin to the art of ethnic embroidery or craftsmen’s palekh miniatures. Here, indeed, Rimsky-Korsakov could give rein to his love for filigree precision and careful drawing of “tasty bits,” his talent for colourful and inventive instrumentation. Apt description of the characters creates folklore-like rich and vivid images. The symphonic fragments, which brought Rimsky-Korsakov a resounding success before the opera had even premiered, are magnificent: the orchestra intermezzo Three Wonders, depicting wonders found in the City of Ledenets (a squirrel cracking golden nuts, thirty-three sea-knights (bogatyrs) headed by Chernomor and the beautiful Swan Princess), as well as the famous Bumblebee Flight which has become one of the main “hits” of music classics.
The producers who staged “The Tale About Tsar Saltan” on the Primorsky Stage – director Daria Panteleeva and designer Piotr Okunev – have created the performance with a thorough knowledge and respect for Russian fairy-tale traditions. On the stage, we can see accurately reconstructed signs of Russian life: delicate lace of wooden architecture and bright national class- and character-specific costumes seem to have stepped out of classical illustrations of folk tales.
Nadezhda Koulygina
