Shéhérazade

Description

A mystical kingdom tinged with the scent of foreign spices, enchanting music, vibrant colors, and sensual delights... Orientalism sparked a new wave of romanticism in Western art in the 19th century. The Tales of the Thousand and One Nights had long been popular in Russia, in a translation by Antoine Galland, which ignited a Francophile passion for all things Arab. For Rimsky-Korsakov, who had a lifelong fascination with fairy tales, especially those set in the exotic backdrop of the mythical East, "Scheherazade" was an ideal theme to explore. The oriental ballet suite "Mille et une nuits" was originally conceived as an orchestral work, first published for solo piano in 1927, and then arranged for orchestra by the composer himself. It gained popularity immediately after its release, notably due to its frequent broadcasts on the radio. After studying at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the class of Bruno Rigutto and Nicholas Angelich, Etsuko Hirose received invaluable guidance from Alfred Brendel, Marie-Francoise Bucquet, and Jorge Chamine.