Rimsky-Korsakov Symphony No. 1 in E minor

Rimsky-Korsakov was originally a naval officer. He began writing a symphony under Balakirev's guidance, but from 1862 he had to leave on a voyage around the world aboard a warship, which lasted about three years. They say he wrote the slow movement while the ship was staying in England.

It premiered in December 1865 under Balakirev, and the audience was startled when the composer walked on stage in his naval uniform to take a bow. Nationalist musicians welcomed it, calling it "the first Russian symphony." It was originally in E♭ minor, but he revised it in 1884 and moved it to E minor.