Though Tchaikovsky had been a regular visitor to the Rimsky-Korsakov home since 1876, and had at one point offered to arrange Rimsky-Korsakov's appointment as director of the Moscow Conservatory, this was the beginning of closer relations between the two.
Aínda que Chaikovskii xa fora un hóspede habitual na casa de Rimskii-Korsakov dende 1876, e que se ofrecera a organizar o nomeamento de Rimskii-Korsakov como director do Conservatorio de Moscova, isto supuxo o comezo dunha relación máis próxima entre ambos.