RIMSKY-KORSAKOV NIKOLAI: (1844-1908) Russian Composer, a member of The Five Group. An excellent A.L.S., N.R. Korsakov, in Cyrillic, two pages, 8vo, St. Petersburg, 23rd April/6th May 1906, to (`Mikhail Ossipovitch´), in Cyrillic. Rimsky-Korsakov refers to the translation of one of his operas and states `I send you a sheet of paper full of Mr. Stasov´s annotations regarding your translation. I´d wish that his accurate and bright work is seriously considered and that as much as possible you use it, as I have full confidence in Mr. Stasov´s knowledge regarding the Russian style and it´s speaking language´ also remarking `I am in agreement with obliging the French to adapt to the Russian poetry features, and not to accommodate the Russian poetry to the French taste´; further adding `...my remarks are our dear Mr. Stasov´s ones´. With blank integral leaf. Accompanied by the original envelope, hand addressed by the composer and signed by him in the return address. A letter of interesting content, possibly referring to the translation of his opera Sadko. EX

 

Mikhail Delin (´Mikhail Ossipovitch´) French Translator of Rimsky-Korsakov´s operas.

Vladimir Stasov (1824-1906) the most respected Russian critic during his lifetime. He wanted Russian art to liberate itself and served as an elder advisor to the group of Russian composers known as "The Five". The present letter in which Rimsky-Korsakov refers three times to Stasov was written only a few months before Stasov´s death.