Rimsky Korsakov's The Snow Maiden is seldom performed, but listening to the lovely music(the most well known part is Dance of the Tumblers) and the more familiar you get with the story you wonder why. True, it's not the Golden Cockerel or Sadko, but it's still very worthwhile. This animated version, based on The Snow Maiden, is abridged and may not be the most ideal of all versions, but it is a good introduction to the opera and also the story if you're not familiar with it already. The animation has a simple beauty and old-fashioned charm to it, atmospherically coloured(not exactly bright but never drab) and well drawn. It is also very 50s Russian animation and is really lovely to look at. The music is just as lovely and beautifully performed by the orchestra and the singers, though a recording is more ideal if you want the whole thing and there are a couple of parts I agree where things were edited out but give the impression that they should have been there. That's not so much a problem though because what we have is still more than satisfying. The story is deliberately paced with a elegantly simple fairy/folk tale feel to it, like the original story and that of the opera itself. It is beautifully told and often very moving, I myself found it very difficult not to tear up at the end. The titular character is every bit as poignant. In conclusion, a beautiful animated if abridged version of the story and Rimsky-Korsakov's opera. If you want another good version of the story of the Snow Maiden, the 1969 film directed by Pavel Kadochnikov is a good one to check out too. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox
