Hi, My name is Keith Alexander here with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov one of the most famous piano composers ever to live.

Alexander: Hello, Mr. Korsakov! How do you do?! We are very excited to have you here with us today!

Rimsky-Korsakov: Oh, well thank you it’s my pleasure thank you for having me I’m truly honored!

Alexander: The honor is all ours sir;
Q- So tell me about the place and time that you lived?

Rimsky-Korsakov:
A- I lived in Tikhvin, a small town 120 miles east of St. Petersburg located on the bank of the Tikhvinka River in the east of the oblast, in 1844. Russia was ruled by Tsar Nicholas I, a real soldier at heart, but there were never any reformations, so everything was still old and neoclassical the modernizing came further down the road.

Alexander: Wow, great stuff really! So what was your family like?

Korsakov: I came from an aristocratic family with a long line of military and naval service. My older brother, Voin became a well-known navigator and explorer. My mother played the piano a little and was a stay at home mom for a little while, she got a job a little after I turned 6 and my father was an indrustrial worker andcould play a few tunes by ear.

Alexander: So how did you begin playing classical music and music in general?

Korsakov: I started taking piano lessons when I was six from the local teachers who’d said I had a the talent for aural skills, but me being my six year old self I had very little interest, though by the time I turned ten I was already composing but I didn’t have the same love for composing as I did for literature; because of my love for the sea my brother Voin had suggested
that I join the Imperial Russian Navy.

Alexander: So what was it like to live in Russia growing up?

Korsakov:With a cold, no-nonsense autocrat for a ruler there was no, Nicholas (the dictator at the time) gave no serious thought to any sort of liberalism or political reforms, preferring to rule through the bureaucracy.” Ruler of Russia 1796-1855 so for 11 years I lived under his rule and if someone were to step out of line they'd be severely punished.

Alexander: If I'm not mistaken there was a huge crisis as you were entering into early adulthood is that correct??

Korsakov: Yes, there was because The Balkan Christians were liberated soon after Dictator Nicholas’ rule come to an end, but there was still rebellion even after the fact and the rebellion expanded from Bosinia to Herzegovina, to Bulgaria which in turn escalated the Balkan crisis, and although it didn't affect myself or my family it was a very controversial issue that angered many people for different reasons of course.

Alexander: Wow, Amazing! And what was your opinion on this?

Korsakov: I had none as long as myself and my family were safe I was fine with being out of the mix.

Alexander: What was it like after the industrialization?

Korsakov: By 1890 Russia had about 32,000 kilometers of railroads and 1.4 million factory workers, most of whom worked in the textile industry. Between 1860 and 1890, annual coal production had grown about 1,200 percent to over 6.6 million tons, and iron and steel production had more than doubled to 2 million tons per year. The state budget had more than doubled, however, and debt expenditures had quadrupled, constituting 28 percent of official expenditures in 1891. So, because of the extremely high taxes my parents didn't always have a lot to give, and sometimes when I was growing up we didn't have a lot, but even then my parents made the most of what we did have, and though it was hard for them, they were afraid of poverty, homelessness and food shortages and though they didn’t show it we knew they were tired and worried about big things they hardly ever complained in front of us, the bulk of it was always hidden from us, so that we wouldn't worry.

Alexander: So tell me about your music?

Korsakov: Well, what do you want to know?

Alexander: How about you start by telling me what made you want to begin to compose?

Korsakov: It's funny because I'd always secretly loved playing the piano, but every time I'd begin to play I'd lose interest almost immediately, and that would kind of irritate my father because quitting wasn't in the Korsakov name, and I never called it quitting I always called it taking a break. And finally something clicked and I began playing consistently and so by the time I was ten I had already composed my first piece but even then my heart wasn't completely in it and I wasn't completely interested in music, you see I was more interested in literature than music so I came up with the idea of combining the literature all in itself with the music because when it all comes down to it the literature and music both had a common factor which was the emotion and or feeling behind it “how does this piece of literature or reading make you feel?” you know?

Alexander: Yes! Yes I agree completely! Well we've got to wrap this up, Mr. Korsakov it's a pleasure to meet you!

Korsakov: Oh! Call me Nikolai, Mr. Korsakov was my father! And the pleasure was all mine!

Alexander: It's an honor to meet you sir, thank you for taking the time.

Korsakov: It was no problem at all! It was wonderful meeting you Keith, I am so very gracious, thank you.

Alexander: I am Keith Alexander here with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov thank you and we're signing off!