Scheherazade, Op. 35
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Work background
Researched classical background
Scheherazade draws on the world of The Thousand and One Nights, contrasting commanding orchestral gestures with an expressive solo violin. Rimsky-Korsakov did not intend every recurring theme to function as a fixed label for a particular character or event. Across four movements, tales and sea imagery provide a setting for changing rhythms and vivid orchestration. The violin helps create a sense of continuing narration.
Inspiration and creative background
The framing story and imaginative world of The Thousand and One Nights supplied the programmatic starting point.
Scheherazade - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
A listening guide
Follow the solo violin between movements and compare the different orchestral settings that surround it.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Orchestra with prominent solo violin
Composition: 1888
Rimsky-Korsakov treated individual movement titles as suggestive rather than a binding scene-by-scene account.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Date, title and version notes
Individual themes should not be assigned rigid story meanings beyond the composer's own qualifications.
Scheherazade - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Scheherazade - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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