Caucasian Sketches, Suite No. 1, Op. 10 (Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

: Кавказские эскизы, Сюита №1) is an orchestral suite composed in 1894 and one of the most representative works by Russian composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov was a Russian composer, conductor and teacher.- Biography :...

. Its final movement, entitled Procession of the Sardar (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

: Cortège du Sardar; also popularly known as March of the Sardar or Sardar's March), is often heard by itself, and is a favorite of pops concerts.

Composition

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, student of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...

, graduated from the St. Petersburg conservatory in 1885. After that, he was trying to secure for himself the directorship of the orchestra of Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...

, the capital of Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

. Therefore, he spent up to seven years learning about Georgian folk music and that made Ippolitov-Ivanov include some of the style and melodies of that region in his Caucasian Sketches. It is dedicated to I. Pitoéff, at that time President of the Russian Musical Society on Tiflis.

Structure

This orchestral suite consists of four movements, namely:

• I. In a Mountain Pass. Allegro moderato - Moderato assai - Tempo I
• II. In a Village. Larghetto - Allegretto grazioso - Tempo I
• III. In a Mosque. Adagietto
• IV. Procession of the Sardar. Allegro moderato. Tempo marziale

The suite begins with a vibrant piece, In a Mountain Pass, which is characterized by a steady ambitious beat suggesting the steep Caucasus Mountains

Caucasus Mountains

The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....

. The second movement, In a Village, begins with a slow tempo and, after a cadenza

Cadenza

In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....

, gains a steady beat and becomes more vibrant near the end, when after a second cadenza, slows its tempo down again. The title of a third, In a Mosque, reflects the abundance of mosques in the once Turkish Caucausus and Circassian regions

Adyghe people

The Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...

, and the listener can hear the Muezzin's call to prayer in the music. The most famous and admired portion is the final piece, Procession of the Sardar, a Persian title for a military commander, leader or dignitary.

Notable recordings

Notable recordings of this suite include:

Orchestra	Conductor	Record Company	Year of Recording	Format
Sydney Symphony Orchestra Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...	Christopher Lyndon-Gee	Marco Polo Naxos Records Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...	1990	CD
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is one of the principle orchestras of Ukraine....	Arthur Fagen	Naxos Records Naxos Records Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...	1995	CD