Apartment Museum of N.A. Rimskii-Korsakov, St. Petersburg

This museum is the preserved interior of the apartment Rimskii-Korsakov lived in for the last fifteen years of his life between 1893 and 1908. Eminent composer, professor at the St Petersburg Conservatory for thirty-seven years of his life, and mentor to other Russian greats such as Stravinskii and Prokofiev, a tour of the apartment gives one a real glimpse into the career and private life of the man. A studious air very much lingers here and a painting of Rimskii-Korsakov at work at his desk takes pride of place in the first room of the exhibition. Here's how the guide explains the composer's working methods to you: he wrote viscerally, straight from heart and soul to score sheet, and a reflective, noiseless calm is almost palpable in the place, which was essential for him to embark on the less peaceful creative struggle he'd set himself. A sense of an intimate family life as well as close collaboration with other musicians and artists pervades the flat: a present of an ornamental baton inscribed with the names of other composers gives us a hint of the latter.