The Station Orchestra, conducted by Warwick Braithwaite

The Composer said that in this Overture he intended to suggest the atmosphere of religious merry-making on Easter Sunday morning. The influence of old pagan customs was, in Russia, mingled with the more solemn Easter celebrations. Rimsky-Korsakov had in mind also reminiscences of ancient prophecy and of the gospel narrative, prefixing to his piece two Scriptural quotations. One is from Psalm LXVIII, beginning 'Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered...' and the other, from the 16th chapter of Mark, describes Mary Magdalene and the others coming to the sepulchre of Jesus, finding the stone rolled away, and hearing the wonderful tidings from the angel: 'He is risen!'