Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) – Op. 36: Russian Easter Festival Overture
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov 18th March 1844 - 21st June 1908
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five. His best-known orchestral compositions – Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade – are well-known pieces of classical music, along with suites and excerpts from some of his 15 operas.
Russian Easter Festival Overture: Overture on Liturgical Themes, also known as the Great Russian Easter Overture, was written between August 1887 and April 1888. It was dedicated to the memories of Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Borodin, two members of the group of composers known in English as The Five.
It is the last of what many call his three most exceptionally brilliant orchestral works, preceded by Capriccio Espagnol and Scheherazade. The work received its premiere at a Russian symphony concert in St. Petersburg in late December 1888.