In the summer of 1898, when work on the composition was at its peak, it was decided that the premiere would take place at Mamontov's Private Russian Opera in Moscow. The part of Marfa was written by the composer taking into account the voice of Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel, who sang at Mamontov’s Opera. The premiere was held on the 22nd of October 1899. The performance designed by Mikhail Vrubel, was staged by one of the founders of the domestic opera directorship, Vasiliy Shkafer, who later held the position of head director at the Bolshoi.

The Tsar’s Bride is the ninth opera by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov and his third reference to the historic dramaturgy of Lev Mei. The composer’s operatic debut was The Maid of Pskov (Pskovityanka), but a year before The Tsar’s Bride a one act opera The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga was created. The plays by Mei that had left the stage of drama theatres a long time earlier remained in the public consciousness due to the stupendous musical realisation of the operas by Rimsky-Korsakov.