by Hal Erickson
synopsis
The life of Russian composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, previously hoked up by Hollywood as Song of Scheherezade, is afforded more reverential treatment in this Soviet production. Grigori Belov stars as Rimsky-Korsakov, here portrayed as a pre-Leninist revolutionary whose music inspires the proletariat to offer defiance against the Czar. Naturally, most of Rimsky-Korsakov's most famous compositions are given ample screen time. Particularly well staged is L. Griasenko's interpretation of the title character in the opera Snow Maiden. The orchestrations were provided by the Kirov Opera Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of B. Haikin.
