| The Tale of Tsar Saltan | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | |
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Bilibin3_saltan.jpg) The Merchants visit Tsar Saltan (Act 3), illustration of Pushkin's poem by Ivan Bilibin who would later provide designs for premieres by Rimsky-Korsakov | |
| Native title | |
| Librettist | Vladimir Belsky |
| Language | Russian |
| Based on | The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Aleksandr Pushkin |
| Premiere | 3 November 1900 Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow |
The Tale of Tsar Saltan (Russian: Сказка о царе Салтане, romanized: Skazka o Tsare Saltane ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue (a total of seven scenes) by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky, and is based on the 1831 poem of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin. The opera was composed in 1899–1900 to coincide with Pushkin's centenary, and was first performed in 1900 in Moscow, Russia.
The best known piece featured in the opera is the instrumental interlude Flight of the Bumblebee, frequently performed as a stand-alone concert piece.
The lengthy full title of both the opera and the poem is The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his Son the Renowned and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and of the Beautiful Princess-Swan (‹See Tfd›Russian: Сказка о царе Салтане, о сыне его славном и могучем богатыре князе Гвидоне Салтановиче и о прекрасной царевне Лебеди Skazka o tsare Saltane, o syne yego slavnom i moguchem bogatyre knyaze Gvidone Saltanoviche i o prekrasnoy tsarevne Lebedi).