Kikimora, Op. 63

Anatoly Lyadov (1855-1914) composed KIKIMORA, Op. 63 in 1909. Based on the familiar figure from Slavic mythology, the following description from Russian Folk-Tales of I.P. Sakharov (translated by Carl Simpson) is included in the score: “Kikimora began life in a sorcerer’s hut in a range of rocky mountains. From morning until evening, a talking cat amused the young witch Kikimora with tales of exotic places. She was then weighed on crystal scales from evening until first light. When exactly seven years old, Kikimora was fully mature. She was frail and dark with a head the size of a thimble and a body as thin as a piece of straw. Her knocks and rattles last from morning until evening, her whistles and hisses from evening until midnight. At midnight Kikimora starts her spinning – not only hemp but evil and mischief for all mankind – until the break of day.” The work premiered in St. Peterburg’s Hall of the Nobility on December 12, 1909, by the Imperial Court Orchestra, Alexander Siloti conducting. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.0.0: Timp.Perc(1): Clst: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set).