program notes by composition > P > Procession of the Nobles
Procession of the Nobles
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov/arr. by Erik W.G. Leidzen
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a Russian composer noted for a predilection for folk and fairy-tale subjects, and for skill in orchestration. Born in Tikhvin, Russia into an aristocratic family, he gave evidence of extraordinary musical talent from an early age.
In 1869, the director of the Imperial Theater of St. Petersburg envisioned an elaborate opera-ballet based on a subject from Slavonic mythology. He commissioned the work from four of "The Five" (Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky and Rimsky- Korsakov), a group of Russian composers with nationalist tendencies. The vision never materialized but twenty years later, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his own opera-ballet, Mlada, based upon the same subject. Sometime later, he arranged a suite of five movements from its music. The last of these, an exciting piece full of fanfare and flourish, is now performed by itself under the current title. Erik W. G. Leidzen arranged this work for the Edwin Franko Goldman Band in 1938.
Last updated on July 28, 2013 by Palatine Concert Band