Composer, born in Tikhvin, Russia. Educated at the naval academy in St Petersburg, his early musical education was perfunctory, but his interest was kindled after meeting Balakirev in 1861. He sailed as a midshipman on a sailing ship (1862--5), after which he wrote his first symphony (1865). In 1871 he was made a professor at the St Petersburg Conservatory, where he was able to develop his technique. He produced three great orchestral masterpieces, Capriccio Espagnol, Easter Festival, and Scheherazade (1887--8), but his main works after that were operas, such as The Golden Cockerel (1907). Ever conscious of his earlier technical shortcomings, he rewrote almost all his early work. He also edited and completed works by Borodin and Mussorgsky.

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