Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow

Le Vol du Bourdon

The ANACROUSE collection offers novice and experienced pianists alike a wide choice of classical works, from the Renaissance to the modern era.

We have set ourselves the goal of offering both "must-haves" from the classical repertoire and pieces by sometimes forgotten composers, all of undeniable pedagogical value. Each piece, sold individually, has been the subject of careful editorial work, both in terms of the musical text and its engraving, in order to guarantee musicians the conditions essential to the pleasures derived from frequent trade in these works.

The scores are offered in the form of traditional works (paper sheets), and also available by download.



The Flight of the Bumblebee is taken from the opera The Tales of Tsar Saltan.
Pushkin inspired Rimsky-Korsakov to write The Tales of Tsar Saltan. From this opera, Rimsky-Korsakov extracted an orchestral suite in 1899. The introduction to the third and final part of the work refers to the "three wonders" expressed in the tale: the squirrel nibbling golden nuts, the thirty-three valiant men emerging from the sea, and a princess of unique beauty. In the end, as in most Russian fairy tales, Good triumphs over Evil, thanks to a number of enchantments, including the transformation of Guidon, the Tsar's son, into a bumblebee.
Rimsky-Korsakov has transcribed the flight of the Bumblebee, a true magician of the orchestra, in such a true and realistic manner that one has the impression of listening to the sound of the insect's wings.
This piano transcription demands velocity and lightness, in order to best reproduce the brilliant, fairy-tale character of the orchestral work.