The Flight Of The Bumblebee
The Flight Of The Bumblebee
By Rimsky-Korsakov
We had to start with this amazing piece of music by Rimsky-Korsakov as it so apporpriate for this time of year. My garden is full of different varieties of Bumblebees, all frenetically busy feeding on the flowers in the herbaceous borders and meadow areas, with their little pollen sacks stuffed full to bursting
This musical composition was intended to encapuslate the manic activity and frenzied flight patterns of the Bumblebee. It has become a favourite virtuoso piece with numerous artists attempting to play it as fast as possible on a vast array of different instruments
It was first played as part of an orchestral interlude in the opera, based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin, with the verbose title The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his Son the Renowned and Mightly Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and of the Beautiful Princess-Swan! 1899-90
Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the opera to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the birth of this great Russian author
In this opera The Flight of the Bumblebee concludes Act 3, Tableau 1, during this Act the magic swan bird turns Prince Gvidon into a Bumblebee after learning of his plight. This enables the Prince to fly away and catch up with a ship heading towards his father’s destination. Once aboard the ship the Prince becomes angry, after discovering the blatant conspiracies against the Tsar. It stings the conspirators and flies off, creating confusion and chaos
Candida Hopkinson