Dance of the Tumblers
Dance of the Tumblers comes from Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Snow Maiden written in 1881. The story of the Snow Maiden deals with the opposition of the eternal forces of nature and involves the interactions of mythological characters, Grandfather Frost, Spring Beauty and Wood Sprite with half mythological characters, Snow Maiden and human characters.
An inquisitive 15-year-old Snow Maiden leaves her home with Frost and Spring to live in a nearby village. Before leaving, her father warns her not to wander into the sunlight as she will die.
As she arrives in the village her beauty enchants a village boy, Mizgir, who is in the process of marrying his bride. The abandoned bride asks the Tsar to banish Mizgir and the Snow Maiden to the dark forest as punishment, but on seeing the Snow Maiden, the Tsar is also charmed and announces that whoever successfully persuades the Snow Maiden to love them, will win both her and a Royal reward.
Mizgir eventually succeeds to win the Snow Maidens heart and she is so consumed with her love for the boy, that she forgets her father’s advice. As the sun beams touch her, she melts into a lake before Mizgir’s eyes. So saddened is he by his loss, he ends his life by drowning in the very lake his love created.
Dance of the Tumblers or Dance of the Clowns comes from Act III of the opera, where the villagers are merry making in preparation for the contest of wining the Snow Maiden’s heart to begin. It is skilfully arranged here for Tuba Quartet by Denis Burton.