Which composer wrote the orchestral suite Scheherazade, inspired by One Thousand and One Nights?

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the orchestral suite Scheherazade, inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.

Rimsky-Korsakov composed Scheherazade in 1888 and gave it the catalog number Op. 35. The four-movement symphonic suite draws on tales associated with One Thousand and One Nights, including the sea voyage of Sinbad, the Kalendar Prince, and a festival in Baghdad.

The solo violin represents Scheherazade, while a bold recurring brass theme is associated with the sultan. Rimsky-Korsakov later softened the idea of assigning exact stories to every movement, emphasizing the work’s orchestral fantasy rather than a fixed program.

The premiere took place in Saint Petersburg on 9 December 1888. Scheherazade is especially admired for its colorful orchestration, a quality linked to Rimsky-Korsakov’s reputation as a master of orchestral technique and a teacher of later Russian composers.