the tsar's bride ("tsarskaya nevesta" in russian) is an opera by nikolai rimsky-korsakov. it was the tenth opera the composer wrote. the words (libretto) were written by il’ya tyumenev who based the story on a book called “the tsar’s bride" by lev mei. the opera was composed in 1898. the first performance took place in 1899 at the moscow theater of the private opera of s.i. mamontov.