Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow

Cortège and Fanfare

Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow (1844-1908) has employed the lovely fable by Ostrovsky, which is set in a legendary country in pagan times, to weave a fantasy of great charm. The Snow Maiden asks her parents, King Winter and the Spring Fairy, to allow her to join the world of humans at the Royal Court of Berendey. Her desire to possess human emotions ultimately leads her to be melted by Yarilo, the Sun-God. The opulence of the Berendey Court is typified by this stirring Cortège And Fanfare wherein the Czar is ushered in first by a broad, oriental theme that gives way to a flourish of the court trumpets. He is then greeted affectionately by his loyal subjects in a typically Russian choral theme. This version for band has been arranged by John Cacavas and adapted by Ralph Satz.