Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a Russian composer, naval officer and teacher, and a central member of the group known as The Five. Born in Tikhvin, he combined musical imagination with a famously disciplined command of orchestration.

His works include Scheherazade, Capriccio espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, operas such as The Golden Cockerel and Sadko, and a Piano Concerto.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s music is brilliant, colourful and often steeped in folk, fairy-tale and orientalising imagery. His orchestration became a model for generations of composers.

As a teacher, he shaped Russian music through pupils including Glazunov, Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Rimsky-Korsakov made the orchestra glitter like a lacquered box opened under strong light.