The Tale of Tsar Saltan

The music by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky‑Korsakov to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin’s fairy tale “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is an astonishing phenomenon. No other opera by the composer has been dissected into quotations like his “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. Who doesn’t know the Squirrel’s song “In the garden, in the vegetable garden”? Which musical instrument hasn’t tried to perform “The Flight of the Bumblebee”? For connoisseurs of orchestral colours, the composer created fantastically beautiful depictions of the sea and the appearance of the Swan Princess in the waves. For those who love heartfelt Russian songs, the composer has composed musical scenes that are remarkable for their folk beauty — the scenes of the three maidens and the reception of guests at Tsar Saltan’s court. “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is one of the few fairy‑tale operas with a happy ending, for the Swan Princess gains the right to emerge from the sea and remain in the human world, enlightening their lives with her magical beauty.

A magical performance featuring impressive sets and stage designs will be presented in the poetic space of the Astrakhan Kremlin, imbued with Russian history, where the evening sky, the scent of warm summer air, and the light and colour space of the stage will transport us to the wonderful world of “The Tale of Tsar Saltan.”

The production was supported by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and the national project “Tourism and Hospitality.”

Astrakhan, Astrakhan Kremlin. 28.08.2026