Hymn to the Sun, from Le Coq d’Or (string quartet)

Title: Hymn to the Sun, from the opera Le Coq d’Or (The Golden Cockerel)

Composer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. David Gable

Instrumentation: Violin 1; Violin 2; Viola; Cello

Printout: 5 pages

Note: Hymn to the Sun is perhaps Rimsky-Korsakov’s best known opera aria. It has been transcribed for many solo instruments, most notably for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler. However, I know of no other arrangement for string quartet than this one. The audio sample cuts the cadenza-like introduction and goes directly to the lush melody.