Opera Tale of the Tsar Saltan Program Notes, Sheet Music and Recordings

Program Notes & Analysis

The "Magic" of Pushkin and the Birth of a National Art

In 1899, all of Russia was celebrating the centenary of its greatest literary icon, Alexander Pushkin. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, then the undisputed master of Russian national opera, set himself the task of transforming Pushkin’s beloved, sprawling fairy-tale poem into a grand opera. This was the perfect marriage of subject and composer. Rimsky-Korsakov, a member of the "Mighty Handful" (a group of composers dedicated to creating a uniquely "Russian" art), saw Pushkin’s folk-inspired tales as the ultimate source material. His librettist, Vladimir Belsky, brilliantly adapted the poem, preserving its unique, singsong, "nursery rhyme" quality. This opera is, in many ways, the climax of Rimsky-Korsakov’s career as a "musical wizard." He had already written the "fairy-tale" operas Sadko and The Snow Maiden, but Tsar Saltan is his most colorful, magical, and joyous creation, a perfect synthesis of the human and the fantastic.

The "Two Worlds" of Rimsky-Korsakov

Like his great predecessor, Mikhail Glinka (composer of Ruslan and Lyudmila), Rimsky-Korsakov builds his musical world on a sharp, clear division between the "human" and the "magical." This is the key to his entire musical language.

1. The Human World: The court of Tsar Saltan, the evil sisters, and the "human" emotions of the Tsarina are all represented by music that is "Russian" to its core. It is built on the simple, modal harmonies and song-like melodies of authentic Russian folk music. The Prologue, for example, opens with a beautiful folk-like melody as the three sisters spin, a sound that is earthy, familiar, and "real."

2. The Magical World: The magical city of Ledenets, the magical squirrel, the 33 sea-knights, and, above all, the Swan-Princess, are represented by a completely different musical language. This is "fantastic" music, built on "unnatural" scales, glittering orchestration, and shimmering, non-Western harmonies. Rimsky-Korsakov, a master of harmony, uses the "octatonic scale" (a "supernatural"-sounding scale of alternating whole- and half-steps) to create a sound that is dazzling, disorienting, and magical. This "magic" style would become a profound influence on his most famous pupil, Igor Stravinsky, who would use these same techniques to create the dazzling, "otherworldly" magic of his ballet The Firebird.

A Master Orchestrator at Work

Rimsky-Korsakov was, first and foremost, a "master of the orchestra"—he literally wrote the textbook on orchestration. Tsar Saltan is perhaps his most brilliant display of "color." The orchestra is the story. He uses the full orchestra, with a huge percussion section, harps, and celesta, to "paint" the scenes. The opera is structured around three magnificent orchestral "pictures" that act as interludes, describing the "Three Wonders" of Gvidon's island: the magical, golden-shelled squirrel (a shimmering, delicate scherzo for piccolo, xylophone, and glockenspiel); the thirty-three knights rising from the sea (a powerful, "watery" march); and the Swan-Princess herself (a soaring, violin-led melody of heartbreaking beauty). These pieces, along with the "Flight of the Bumblebee," are so effective that they are often performed in concert halls as an orchestral suite.

The Flight of the Bumblebee: An Interlude, Not an Aria

The opera’s most famous, and most misunderstood, piece of music is, of course, "The Flight of the Bumblebee." It is not an "aria" or a standalone "showpiece." It is a brilliant, purely orchestral interlude, or scherzo, that connects the scenes in Act III. Prince Gvidon, now the ruler of his magic island, is desperate to see his father, Tsar Saltan, who does not know he is alive. The Swan-Princess, who is also a sorceress, transforms Gvidon into a bumblebee so he can secretly fly across the sea and stow away on Saltan’s ship. "The Flight of the Bumblebee" is the sound of that transformation and that journey. It is a masterpiece of "perpetuum mobile" (perpetual motion), a relentless, buzzing, chromatic passage for strings and woodwinds that perfectly captures the "chaotic" flight of an insect. It is not just a technical showpiece; it is a masterful piece of musical storytelling.

A Fairy Tale, Not a Drama

Unlike the dark, psychological, verismo operas of his Italian contemporary, Puccini, The Tale of Tsar Saltan is not a "drama" in the traditional sense. It is a "pageant," or a "living storybook." The characters are intentionally two-dimensional archetypes, just as they are in Pushkin's poem. Militrisa is the "pure" heroine. Her sisters and Babarikha are "pantomime" villains. The Tsar is the "noble (if gullible) father." There is no deep psychological conflict or character development. This was a deliberate choice. The "plot" is just a colorful string on which Rimsky-Korsakov hangs his real subjects: the magic of the orchestra, the beauty of Russian folk melody, and the wondrous, epic "feel" of a Russian fairy tale. It is an opera that is not meant to be "analyzed" so much as "experienced"—a feast for the ears and the imagination.

A National Treasure

The 1900 premiere in Moscow was a triumph. Rimsky-Korsakov had perfectly captured the spirit of Russia’s most beloved poet, and in doing so, had created one of his most beloved works. It is the quintessential "Russian National Opera," a work that, along with Glinka's Ruslan and Borodin's Prince Igor, defines the entire "fairy-tale" wing of the country's art. Its influence, through Stravinsky, would spread throughout the 20th century. It remains a work of pure, unadulterated joy, a "wonder" in itself, just like the magical city of Ledenets it depicts.

The Story of the Opera

Prologue: The Three Sisters

In a humble cottage, three sisters are spinning, on a dark winter's night. They dream of what they would do if the Tsar married them. The eldest (Povarikha) boasts she would cook a feast for the entire world. The middle sister (Tkachikha) boasts she would weave a cloth to cover the entire world. But the youngest, Militrisa, says simply, "I would not boast. I would bear the Tsar a bogatyr (a hero) for a son." Suddenly, Tsar Saltan, who has been listening outside the window, enters. He is charmed by Militrisa's gentle answer. He declares he will marry her, and he will take her sisters to the palace as the Royal Cook and Royal Weaver. The two elder sisters are consumed with jealousy and, with their evil old relative, Babarikha, they plot their revenge.

Act I: The Barrel at Sea

Months later, Tsar Saltan is away at war. In the palace, the Tsarina Militrisa has given birth to a son, Gvidon. She is heartsick, as her husband has not yet responded to the news. The two evil sisters and Babarikha have intercepted the Tsar's message of joy and replaced it with a forged one. A bumbling, drunken messenger arrives with the (fake) "Tsar's decree": the Tsarina and her "monstrous" child are to be "sealed in a barrel and cast into the sea." The boyars (the nobles) are horrified, but they must obey. The act ends as Militrisa and the newborn Gvidon are pushed out to sea in a barrel.

Act II: The Magical Island

The barrel, after a long journey on the waves, washes up on the desolate, empty island of Buyan. The Tsarevich Gvidon has magically grown into a young man while in the barrel. He and his mother emerge. Gvidon makes a bow and arrow to hunt for food. He sees a magical Swan-Bird being attacked by a vicious kite. He shoots the kite. The Swan-Bird, in a human voice, thanks him, revealing that the kite was an evil sorcerer. She promises to repay his kindness. She then causes the magical, golden city of Ledenets (the "City of Candy") to rise from the mist. The city's inhabitants emerge, singing, and proclaim Gvidon their prince.

Act III: The Bumblebee and the Three Wonders

Prince Gvidon is now the ruler of his magical island, but he is sad. He longs to see his father, Tsar Saltan. The Swan-Bird, moved by his sorrow, transforms him into a bumblebee. This is the famous "Flight of the Bumblebee." Gvidon flies across the sea and stows away on a ship of merchants who are sailing to his father's court. Back in Tsar Saltan's palace, the merchants tell the Tsar of the "wonders" they have seen on Gvidon's island: a magical, singing squirrel that cracks golden nuts, and a group of 33 sea-knights who rise from the ocean. The two evil sisters and Babarikha, terrified the Tsar will discover the truth, try to distract him, saying those wonders are "nothing." Gvidon, as the bumblebee, attacks them, stinging his evil aunts and Babarikha on the face before flying away.

Act IV: The Swan-Princess and the Reunion

Back on the island of Buyan, Gvidon is heartsick for a bride. He tells the Swan-Bird of the beautiful princess he has heard of, and she reveals that she is that princess. She transforms into her human form, the beautiful Princess-Swan. Tsar Saltan's ship is sighted; he is coming to see the island of wonders for himself. As Saltan arrives, Gvidon reveals the Three Wonders to him: the magic squirrel, the 33 sea-knights, and, finally, the Princess-Swan. Tsar Saltan is amazed, but his heart is still heavy. He longs for his lost wife and son. At that moment, Gvidon reveals his identity, and Militrisa emerges from the city. The Tsar, overjoyed, finally understands the decades-old betrayal. He begs his wife for forgiveness. The evil sisters rush in, begging for mercy. In his joy, the Tsar forgives them, and the opera ends in a massive, joyous chorus celebrating the reunion of the family and the wedding of Prince GGvidon and the Swan-Princess.