Rimsky-Korsakov
Rimsky-Korsakov belonged to the "school of five" of
Russian composers who succeeded in bringing a strong Russian character into their music. He is a brilliant orchestrator, and his music exhibits a blend of
romantic and
impressionistic styles.
Born
in Novgorod, Russia, in 1844, he became a Naval Officer, but was an active composer
in his spare time. In 1871 he became professor of composition at St
Petersburg Conservatory.
His most famous works include Capriccio
Espagnole, Scheherazade Suite and the Golden
Cockerel. He also did much orchestrating on the works of his friends,
especially Night on Bare Mountain, by Mussorgsky.
One of his pupils was Stravinsky,
whose early work The Firebird was greatly influenced by
Rimsky-Korsakov. He died at St Petersburg in 1908.