During 1880-1881 Rimsky Korsakov composed his four act opera 'The Snow Maiden' which the composer's own favorite work. Allthough he prepared suites from several of his operas, curiously, Rimsky Korsakov may have had nothing whatever to do with assembling the suite from 'The Snow Maiden'. The 'Dance of the Tumblers' is the last movement of the suite. It's a mercurial final with 'Mendelssohnian' deftness which became quite popular on its own as well.