The great composer and "dangerous revolutionary" Rimsky-Korsakov

QUIET. Birthday of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov.

The great Russian composer, born 172 years ago on March 18, could have developed a completely different biography. At age 12, a boy who adored music and dreamed of traveling, was enrolled in the Naval Cadet Corps. In the family at that time there was already a naval officer - the elder brother of Nikolai (the difference between them was 22 years). Warrior Andreyevich, named after his great-grandfather, made a brilliant career - from the midshipman to the rear admiral. The three-year round-the-world expedition on the Almaz clipper allowed Nikolai to finally decide on the choice of his vocation. Outweighed the love of music. Communication continued with the members of the Balakirev circle, which he got into thanks to the patronage of his music teacher - Fedor Kanille. Acquaintance with a professor of chemistry, a medical composer Alexander Borodin subsequently grew into a long friendship.

The sea was invisibly present in the composer’s work for the rest of his life, presenting himself in marvelous sea landscapes. In this case we are talking about synesthesia, the so-called "color hearing" of Rimsky-Korsakov. The timbres and tones in his perception took on a certain color, each note had a visual equivalent: the key in G major seemed to him brownish-golden, in E major - sapphire, in C major - white.

The correctness of the choice made is evidenced by the extensive list of operas, symphonic works and vocal compositions written by him. The active nature of Nikolai Andreevich allowed him to engage not only in composer activity, but also in the analysis of musical works. Of particular interest in this area is his “Chronicle of My Musical Life”, in which he subjects his own creations to a detailed and impartial analysis. He found time to inspect Moscow brass bands, conducting, teaching at the conservatory of the Northern capital.

The irreconcilable position regarding the bloody events of January 1905 and the use of weapons against students of the conservatory who protested against this led to the composer’s disgrace, the establishment of police supervision after him and his refusal of honorary membership in the Russian Musical Society. The works of the composer “revolutionary” in many cities of Russia were now listened to standing. He continued teaching at the conservatory only after the re-election of its leadership.

His last opera, The Golden Cockerel, was not allowed to be staged due to the unacceptable satire of the autocracy, which was censored by censors and police officials. The experiences of recent years and the ban on opera have undermined the composer’s health, causing him to suddenly die.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru