On the following is set out the program of Scheherazade, which differs from that printed in the published score.
Sultan Shakhriar, convinced of the perfidy and faithlessness of
women, has vowed to execute each of his wives after the
first night [the words On the next day after the wedding
are crossed out in the autograph]; but the Sultana Shekherazada
saved her life by the fact that she was able to occupy him with
her stories, which she told him over 1001 nights, so that,
roused by curiosity Shakhriar continually put off her
execution and finally completely abandoned his intention.
Many wonders Shekherazada told him of Sinbad's voyages at sea,
of the wandering Kalender princes, of the knights turned into
stone, of the great bird Rul, of the evil geniis, of the
pleasures and amusements of the eastern rulers, of the ship
dashed to pieces on the magnetic tock with the bronze horseman
and mush else, quoting the verses of poets and the words of
songs, weaving story into story and tale into tale. NB.
The composer has not kept to a line by line reproduction
of any one tale in particular, recomending the listener
to find out those pictures to which the program refers.
In a letter to Glazunov, dated 7 July 1888, the composer
reiterated that the work had no specific program [osoboy
programmy ne budet, that the first movement was
a prelude (E Major), the second a narrative (Rasskaz)
(B Minor), the third a Reverie (G Major) and the fourth
an Eastern festival, a dance, in a word a kind of Baghdad
carnaval (!) (E Minor-E Major). Sheherazade's international
success stems from its performance in Brussels under the
composer's baton on 18 March 1900 when it was given at the Fifth
Russian Symphony Concert at the Theatre de la Monnaie.
It was staged as a ballet in Paris in 1910 at the
Grande Opera as part of Diaghilev's celebrated season.
Date of composition: 1888
First Performance: 9 November 1888
Published: (with Russian and French title:
Scheherazade d'apres Mille et une nuits. Suite symphonique
pour orchestre). Leipzig:Belaieff, 1889 (fs & piano
duet arr. by composer).
Source: Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov,
A guide to Research. Gerald R. Seaman, Garland Publishing, Inc.
New York & London, 1988.
