Flight of the Bumblebee

The piece closes act 3, tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father, the tsar. Following is the text of the scene where the Swan-Bird sings during this music: Russian (Гвидон спускается с берега в море.Из моря вылетает шмель,кружась около Лебедь-Птицы.) Лебедь-Птица: Ну, теперь, мой шмель, гуляй, судно в море догоняй, потихоньку опускайся, в щель подальше забивайся. Будь здоров, Гвидон, лети, только долго не гости! (Шмель улетает.)   (Gvidon goes down from the shore into the sea.Out from the sea flies a bumblebee,whirling around the Swan-Bird.) Swan-Bird: Well, now, my bumblebee, go on a spree, catch up with the ship on the sea, go down secretly, get deep into a crack. Good luck, Gvidon, fly, only do not stay long! (The bumblebee flies away.) ==Reception==

In 2021, researchers examined the enduring popularity of the piece by investigating its statistics within the musical service Spotify. They found that the piece was represented by more than 1000 different recordings. Among those recordings, the two most popular were performed by Columbia Symphony Orchestra in 1963, and London Symphony Orchestra in 2008. Between them, these two recordings had an audience of 8,000,000 listeners. ==References==