Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born on March 18, 1844 in Tikhvin, Russia 120 miles east of Saint Petersburg, He learned to play the piano at age 6, but his interest in music was not kindled until he entered his teens. At age 15, he took lessons in piano and composition from Feodor Kanille whom he credited as his inspiration to compose music. In 1861, Kanille introduced Rimsky-Korsakov to Mily Balakirev and Modest Mussorgsky–two composers who helped him hone is composition skills.
A love of the sea that inspired his musical composition is expressed in his most famous work, the symphonic suite Scheherazade. His compositions Capriccio Espagnol and the Russian Easter Festival Overture have also been embraced as part of the classical music repertoire. Rimsky-Korsakov is celebrated for his rich musical orchestration capturing exotic themes from the East and combining them with Western style harmonies in the style of composers like Richard Wagner.
Paying tribute to one of the founders of classical music, Rimsky-Korsakov mused, “I had no idea of the historical evolution of the civilized world’s music and had not realized that all modern music owes everything to Bach.”
