Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) came from an aristocratic family which lived near Novgorod. When he appeared to be musically gifted as a child his parents did not hesitate one moment to map out a more honourable profession for him – he was to make a career in the navy as a marine officer. Rimsky-Korsakov however succeeded in secretly studying the cello next to his studies at the Naval Academy at St Petersburg. Through his cello teacher he came into contact with the composer Balakirev. In this way he suddenly became a member of The Mighty Five (a group of Russian composers consisting of Balakirev Moussorgsky Cui Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakovhimself). Rimsky-Korsakov turned out to be so talented that he even became a teacher at the St Petersburg Conservatory.‘Procession of the Nobles’ comes from the opera-ballet ‘Mlada’.The opera has a remarkable history for between 1868 and 1870 five different composers worked on this project. The final result was never executed however. Twenty years later Rimsky-Korsakov started work on the opera once more and composed his own version of Mlada.The theme of the opera is a tragic love story that is set in the early Middle Ages in a realm on the Baltic Sea. In ‘Processsion of the Nobles’ all the princesses of the country gather for a grand feast on the occasion of the summer holidays.
