Flight of the Bumblebee

Flight of the Bumblebee was originally composed by Rimsky-Korsakov as an orchestral interlude for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1899). The piece closes the first tableau of Act III, right after the magic Swan-Bird gives Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) instructions on how to change into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father (who does not know that he is alive). In the century since its composition, the piece has become a standard showcase for solo instrumental virtuosity.