<P> The music of this number recurs in modified form during the ensuing tableau (Act III, Tableau 2), at the points when the Bumblebee appears during the scene: it stings the two evil sisters on the brow, blinds Babarikha (the instigator of the plot to trick Saltan at the beginning into sending his wife away), and in general causes havoc at the end of the tableau . The readers of Alexander Pushkin's original poem, upon which this opera is based, will note that Gvidon is supposed to go on three separate trips to Saltan's kingdom, each of which requires a transformation into a different insect . </P> <P> "Flight of the Bumblebee" is recognizable for its frantic pace when played up to tempo, with nearly uninterrupted runs of chromatic sixteenth notes . It is not so much the pitch or range of the notes that are played that challenges the musician, but simply the musician's ability to move to them quickly enough . Because of this and its complexity, it requires a great deal of skill to perform . </P> <P> In the "Tsar Saltan" suite, the short version is commonly played, taking less than two minutes . In the Opera version, the three - minute fifty - five - second version is performed . </P> <P> Although the original orchestral version assigns portions of the sixteenth - note runs to various instruments in tandem, in the century since its composition the piece has become a standard showcase for solo instrumental virtuosity, whether on the original violin or on practically any other melodic instrument . Sergei Rachmaninov's transcription for piano features in the film Shine and is interpreted by David Helfgott . </P>

How long is the flight of the bumblebee