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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's three-act, seven-scene 1896 opera Sadko originally took the form of an orchestral poem, before the composer reworked the material in to a fantasy-laden lyric drama with his own libretto. It gained an enduring reputation for its deeply rich aural and visual imagery of the ocean, as well as its ability to draw on rich elements of indigenous folk music, here performed by the townspeople. This particular production was mounted by The Bolshoi Theatre in 1980; it stars Vladimir Atlantov as Sadko Tamara Milashkina as Volkhova, Irina Arkhipova as Lyubava and Nina Grigorieva as Nezhata. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre lend musical accompaniment, conducted by Yuri Simonov; Fedor Fedorovsky designed the sets; and Boris Pokrovsky directed for the stage.