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Rimsky-Korsakov · Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Rimsky-Korsakov Symphony No. 2 in F♯ minor "Antar"

The desert hero and the 'three joys' given by the fairy queen

Key
F♯ minor
Composed
1868
Premiere
1869 (Russian Musical Society concert)
Duration
about 30 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 3·2·2·2 (3rd flute doubles piccolo, 2nd oboe doubles English horn) · Brass 4·2·3·1 · Timpani · Percussion (bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, triangle, snare drum) · Harp · Strings

The story behind this piece

A musical retelling of Senkovsky's tale of the Arab hero Antar. Living alone in the desert, Antar rescues a gazelle being chased by a giant bird, and the gazelle turns out to be the fairy Gul-Nazar, queen of Palmyra. As thanks, she grants him three joys: vengeance, power, and love, and Antar dies in the last joy, love. The first movement opens the story, and the other three movements portray the three joys one by one.

He finished it in 1868 and it premiered in March 1869. It was first called "Symphony No. 2," but the composer later changed his mind and decided it was better regarded as a "symphonic suite" than a symphony. Some melodies come from a collection of Algerian folk songs, and the fourth movement's theme comes from an Arab melody given to him by Dargomyzhsky.

What to listen for

  • The "Antar" theme heard in the first movement returns in all four movements. Like Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, follow the character through the music as a theme.

Listen · Score

Credits