'I have never experienced such a triumph,' Tchaikovsky wrote begrudgingly after the acclaimed premiere of his Third Suite. With his melodic richness and orchestral brilliance, he had completely captured the public and the press. Not much later, Rimsky-Korsakov would rival him with his own orchestral suites, including Sheherazade. Tchaikovsky took it sportingly, calling his colleague "the greatest master of our time.