Thanks so much! I've really anticipated your analysis on Scheherazade! Could you Kindly do one of Tchaikovsky's 4th, 5th or 6th symphonies. I'm sure a massive number of guys would really appreciate.
@@InsidetheScore I wonder why not fifth, too. It stands out at least because of its peculiar dramatic structure, with second (slow) movement containg the most important musical events and being the climax. Obviously, there is much more to be found in the sixth, but I am simply pointing out that there is no reson to dismiss the fifth.
How I love this piece of music ! I mean, I had to restrain myself extremely hard not to like the video as soon as I started watching it. This was my favourite piece of classical music when I was a child and as such it holds a very special place in my heart. Rimsky Korsakov created such wonderful themes! I think I loved it so much because it gave me all the emotions of a fairy tale: wonder, adventure, love, struggle, fear (gosh how I feared the sultan theme!), joy... And it still makes me feel this way today. I didn't know much about the composer, just that he was Russian and influenced Tchaikovsky. It explains so much to me that he was in the navy. Anyway, thank you for yet another great video. It was interesting getting to really pay attention to the different layers of the music. As I've heard it so many times I tend to sing the themes along and not really pay attention to all the details. And I love that you're giving us advices on your favourite recordings of the piece. I feel there should be many more things to say about this piece but you gave me some keys to understanding it and now, all I want is to listen to it again. Thank you so much for it.
If you are a fan of the analog format I highly recommend Fritz Reiner with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on vinyl. Acoustic sounds reissued certain titles from the RCA In Living Stereo series. Analog has something that is missing from digital. The recording was done in 1960 and sounds like it was recorded yesterday. The sound is phenomenal. The orchestra has a thunder to it and the cymbal crashes fill the room. I love Scheherazade and this this recording is hard to beat.
Always one of my favourite pieces. I remember reading, many years ago that Tchaikovsky (no slouch in the orchestration dept) was particularly impressed by Korsakov's orchestration, which, IMO, has never been equaled/bettered. This piece really exposes the lead violin, but virtuoso performances are required from nearly everyone in the orchestra. My favourite recording is by Andrew Litton & The London Philharmonic. The percussion is very much "high in the mix," especially in the 4th movement. This piece, like so much in the Russian musical repertoire takes you on such an emotional roller coaster. But, the "emotional outburst of the orchestra" you highlight at 21.48 as the idea, first played by the solo violin is repeated by the whole orchestra, is definitely (simple idea though it is) one of my favourite moments in all of music!
Thank you! Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov tend to be forever tied in the head and heart for who I love the most... Thanks to you for today Nikolay clearly has won over Piotr) Lovely analysis! Please, do more of those! And, if possible, do something on opers maybe? Thanks again!
Just found this. Thank you so much for this elaborate explanation of Scheherazade. I grew up listening to Leopold Stokowski's version back when I was living in the US. That's how I came to know and love the music and was hoping you would list his version as a "must hear"! Bulls eye! 🎯🙏👍
I love this series and follow it on Spotify, and appreciate the insight to these amazing pieces. Would love to see some more episodes on less played or not as well known pieces. Keep up the good work on this series! ☺️
It is one of my all time favorite You are one of the very few reasons i open the RU-vid app for This exact music is quite popular in Iraq, i really love the analysis you made on this and every other piece Greetings from Baghdad my dear friend 🇮🇶
Haven’t listened to this symphony in a long time, (been mainly focusing on Beethoven Tchaik and Richard Strauss lately) this video reminded me of how much I loved this symphony, I will listen to it again after this video.
I absolutely love your musical analysis! Describes a lot of what I personally feel when I hear music! And Scheherazade is one of my favourite classic music of all times. Thanks for the video.
I am not a musician but I love listening to classical music. This is one of my favorite, I will never grow tired of listening to. It's a delight to learn more about this beautiful piece. Hugs n kisses to you!
I performed this in orchestra back during college. My favorite thing I ever played in orchestra. Also in the brass section you need some serious lungs for the last few minutes of the tune.
@R. V. Datmir I've never encountered anyone who's taken fake internet rules seriously... bizzare. Most people I know around my age are incredibly open minded when it comes to art :)
Poetry on Plastic YT channel recommends this piece as an introduction to classical music but never explained it. I've listened to it many times and but never understood it. I found your channel last week. This is a brilliant explanation. It will be much more meaningful the next time I listen to it. Suggestion: Please type out the info of your recommended recordings so that we can see them spelled out and they will be easier to find. Thank you.
I loved the episode. Also, I consider that your recommendations ought to include Leonard Bernstein's incredible execution of the piece with the New York Philharmonic.
Interesting personal observation: on this discovery video I found I had different images in my mind than you drew, and based on what you said about this not being a fixed story but rather scenes my images still make sense. That might be because I am more familiar with sheherazade since childhood, so I'm learning about myself as well as the music from your video. Maybe this doesn't matter to anyone else, but it's fascinating to me. I quite enjoy Stakowski's recording, I think he was a great story teller, and sheherazade is quite the story.
I'm a huge fan of the recording by the Borusan Istanbul with Sascha Goetzel. They insert improvised interludes on traditional near-Eastern instruments (kanon and oud), while also replacing most harp parts with these instruments, which is an incredible touch and fits the piece wonderfully. This all makes it sound like it's a novelty recording, but the overall interpretation is very faithful and straightforward, and they capture the epic orchestral power perfectly. The violin soloist is transcendent. Just THE definitive recording of this piece as far as I'm concerned, not to be missed.
It's interesting that you mention a performance of this piece by the Kirov Orchestra, because the Kirov, of course, is one of Russia's two ultra-famous world-class ballet companies (now back to their original name of the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra),and the orchestra members accompany the dancing. They have in their repertoire a one-act ballet "Scheherazade" choreographed to selected sections of Rimsky-Korsakov's celebrated suite. The music ssd's icon works beautifully as a ballet, as though it creates iui ed out to be danced to. The ballet tells an original story of a sultan whose wife IS cheating on him with the gorgeous Golden Slave (google photos of the late Rudolf Nureyev in this role). They dance the famous Golden Slave Pas de Deux to the sensuous love theme, and it is the most ssf t sinuous
Thank you so so much for this wonderful analysis. Sending you, and all your lovely listeners, fragrant greetings from the far away lands of The Thousand and One Nights 💐
Yes, yes to the Stokowski version of this work. That clarinet riff near the beginning of the third movement is still the most rubato of any version that I've heard. I always listen for it and I've heard many different recordings. As a kid I grew up listening to my father's 1955 recording of Scheherazade, with the Pittsburgh Symphony and William Steinberg. A good start to a great work.
I ❤ Rimsky--Korsakov. My late wife was not really "into" classical music (more soft rock/pop) but she did like Scheherazade, proof that it has a sort of universal appeal. BTW, I once had a coworker w/ the name Scheherazade, but she used a somewhat different spelling. We called her "Sherry".🙂
I know I'm late to the party but wanted to say thank you for these videos, this one in particular as I have listened to 2 versions, each time listening to your video before. The Kirov under Gergiev and the Oslo under V Petrenko. Your video and wonderful explanation enhance the listening experience and what more can be said than that! FWIW I prefer the Gergiev but both are terrific recordings and you won't be disappointed with either IMO. Thanks again, Jim
Thank you for your wonderful appreciation of this piece often dismissed as “light filler” which is in truth one of Western music’s towering monuments. Your lovely insights are a gift to us all. That said, forgive my one quibble. Since my late teens in the 1070s, I’ve played through the Felix Guenther piano transcription of this work published by Edward B. Marks, especially loving the second movement, aka “Kalendar Prince.” I was astonished you didn’t mention the tenderly hushed variation which leads with stunning effect to that movement’s passionate finale, a sequence that’s haunted me my whole life.
Lovely, a work really extraordinary. I don't know how to traduced that, but "entrañable" in Spanish. Thank u!!! Greetings from Mexico. And again, a video, a work really amazing.
If anyone here did watch young Indiana Jones chronicles there were some episodes where Indi worked as a spy in Spain and one of those places were at a ballet. The music used was a lot from this Scherezades. And sometimes the shows own themes was put into this
as a kid I went to special music school in Asian part of Soviet Union (early 80s). I was terrible student, too embarrassing to describe... My major was violin, and there was mandatory classical piano as well. If you check my humble channel you can see how awful my piano skills are (in terms of classical piano standards), and my major violin was even worse. Listening and analyzing classical pieces like Scheherazade was daily school routine and I was dead bored and paying no attention... Anyway, here I am in my 40s, enjoying your videos, as well as many similar creators. There are no teachers, no exams, my job has nothing to do with music, yet I am joyfully catching up my childhood program. Thank you and good luck! PS unrelated: would be interested to know your opinion on Isaak Dunayevsky "The Children of Captain Grant" overture. Its only about 4 minutes. Very undervalued IMO.
Ah! I loved this! :) Can I make a silly question? Is there any orchestra recordings of Scheherazade in the public domain? Whenever I've tried to use it, the video gets silenced by RU-vid and Twitch. :/
A wonderful piece. Bar far his best. His mastery of harmony on display throughout. The sequences in the first movement change key effortlessly with the smoothest voice leading. His fascination for ( some would say OCD) symmetry and equal divisions of the octave help spin out the melodies and refrains. All coming together in the last movement when he re-introduces the main themes again. This was really the end of an era. Published only a couple of years before L'apres midi du faun, when music changed forever. Rimsky was somewhat conservative and said of Debussy " one shouldn't listen to it as one might end up liking it !" Yet he found time to teach Stravinsky !.......ANTAR is almost as good ! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qkDw_hpotp8.html
"By far" I don't agree with. Are you familiar with his operas? Снегурочка (Snow Maiden) and Сказка о невидимом граде Китеже (The Invisible City Kitezh) are his best works, and Садко (Sadko) is up there too, in my opinion. Not putting Шехеразада (Sheherazde) down. It's one of the pieces that introduced me to classical music. And it is a true masterpiece.
@@bencostello7435 Yes I am. I have pretty much everything recorded. Some of his Operas are good. Sadko and Snow Maiden particularly. But I disagree....Scheherazade just nails it. His best melodies, his best orchestration ( divisi double basses !!!) perfection !
@@edbuller4435 Ooh, Snow Maiden's melodies are the best. And the orchestration of especially the opening of Kitezh is his pinnacle. He really thought of Kitezh as the culmination of his artistic career. Well, these are all great pieces, so you can't go wrong with any of them
@@bencostello7435 yes this is fantastic. The build up is wonderful . ; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BNQpbtpaOz4.html but it's less focused than Scheherazade. Also blander. Rimsky could get very bland. Do you have his Note books / I have 3...all in Russian...there are about 23. I'd love to get them all. His harmony book is fantastic but missing so much from the Russian version
Yes, and Scherezade is unique. shares a special place with pieces like Bolero, the Hallelujah chorus, etc. Seems somehow due to the powerful conjunction of orientalist fantasy and musical narrativity.
2 years ago I played this for orchestra The song always felt like it had a story. Especially this part (and yes I played in that orchestra): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U80e1oVC9YY.html
It just so happened that we were studying Frankenstein in English class. So in music class, for one activity, we were told to create a story for the song. So I created mine by extrapolating Frankenstein and was asked to read it, but with a recording of the song playing. The story kind of hinged on a specific part (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U80e1oVC9YY.html) which didn't play in that recording because it was arranged differently but people still liked it. Good times lol
Great analysis. But for me -- a disappointment (it's not your fault). Since I was little I always heard detailed precise descriptions of what was going on in the story and the stories within the story. All the way to little details. For example, there was a battle there, and I was told, "here the armies are far away. The first army plays the bugle to issue a challenge. The second army responds. They come within sight of each other. Closer and closer, They clash." It wasn't really leitmotifs, because the same musical bit could be used for different characters. But it was always full of vivid detailed pictures. I remember a book which listed all the musical themes, melodies, motifs, bits, and what they represented. There were lots of them. I remember even that there was a short bit for the giant Roc bird. And underneath all these stood the basic themes of the Sultan and Scheherazade, direct or modified, so that at any moment any creature could turn into one of the two. Not only people. The Storm in the fourth part was really Sultan in his wrath. He was the storm, the cloud, an angry army. Scheherazade likewise. And at the end, after the ship crashes, the mist of the inner story lifts, and Scheherazade the great story teller is left alone in her beauty. As she stands there, the Sultan appears too. But how different he is. Soft, gentle, satisfied. Now I realize that it was just as much modern storytellers interpreting the music into coherent, lush, detailed stories, as it was the music itself, producing a yet greater masterpiece.
I love your comments but why don't you show the score of the themes anymore? Without a score to show the themes your analysis, though excellent, loses much of its appeal.
Where is the original video?! With your face and the story about Rimsky korsakov as the person?! This story was absolutely fascinating! Political anti Russia cut of , of the most interesting part , that tells how exiting Russian individuals are actually?! Shame on you britain! Messaging from your special relationship place , USA!
