Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Spanish Capriccio Op. 34

The “Spanish caprice,” dedicated “to the artists of the Russian orchestra of Sankt Petersburg” was produced in 1887 from drafts to a planned fantasia on Spanish themes. A year later, the piece was published by Belayev in Leipzig.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, officer of the Imperial Navy, was already the author of three symphonies and the opera The Maid of Pskov when he decided that he knew too little and devoted himself to self-taught work on his composing technique. Although he had been receiving advice from M. Balakirev, the latter’s opinionated tutelage proved to be intolerable in the long run. The result was astounding. Rimsky-Korsakov became the ultimate authority on instrumentation – somehow to his own irritation. He thus commented on his Spanish Capriccio: “The opinion that the capriccio is a perfectly instrumented work is false. It is a perfect work for orchestra.” Contrarily to the majority of the artists of his generation (Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Grieg, Noskowski), who composed at the piano, and only then instrumented their works, Rimsky-Korsakov operated in terms of orchestra colour from the very start. He received praises for his “brilliant instrumentation” like a virtuoso complimented after a performance for his violin or piano. He was well aware of the fact that his talent transcends even the most powerful technical skills. He was a great storyteller, one able, like the epic poets of old, to spin broad yarns in the spirit of ancient chronicles with their amalgam of truth and fantasy. Without his symphony and his opera, there would have been no scenic works by his most eminent pupil Stravinsky. Above all, however, Rimsky-Korsakov’s work speak for themselves, even if they still have not received the recognition they deserve.
Spanish Capriccio exhibits only a part of Rimsky-Korsakov’s creative potential. It is a two-movement piece with five segments that appear attacca.
∙ Movement One begins with a joyful Alborada (Vivo e strepitoso), based on a lively and pulsating rhythm, which sounds like the beginning of a promising day. It is followed by a short cycle of variations (Andante con moto), where the Spanish colour is also evident in elements of scale. In the end, Alborada returns in an impressive, chamber-like version.
∙ A roll of the snare drum and a violin cadence open Movement Two in Scena e canto gitano (Allegretto), where recitatives and cadences of various instruments (clarinet, harp) precede an enraptured dancing episode. It makes a direct transition into the final Fandango asturiano.

Maciej Negrey