The Tale of Tsar Saltan

Fairy tales by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin are loved by adults and children alike. “The Tale of Tsar Saltan, His Son the Glorious and Mighty Knight Prince Gvidon Saltanovich, and the Beautiful Swan-Girl” was written by A. S. Pushkin in 1831. From childhood, we memorize the lines “Three maidens by the window…,” “The wind strolls over the sea and drives along the little boat…,” “And she herself, so stately, steps out as though a peacock…”—and we remember how we imagined ourselves as heroes of the fairy tale, setting off on a journey along with Prince Gvidon, discovering the wonderful, miraculous world… And we didn’t even suspect that the fairy tale is based on an ancient legend about an island state consisting of a fortress-city, guarded by the coast guard and conducting international trade.

In the literary composition of the disk, wonderful music by the Russian composer Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov is used—written by him for an opera of the same name in 1900.

Vera Petrovna Maretskaya, the great actress of the 20th century, who played many roles in theater and cinema, recorded this fairy tale in 1976. Her incomparable voice, entrancing intonations, still make us believe in miracles. And the adventures of the brave prince Gvidon, the beautiful Swan-Girl, and Tsar Saltan remind us that love, loyalty, and strength of spirit overcome all obstacles.