  In general or normal random matrix ensembles, the support of eigenvalues of
large size matrices is a planar domain (or several domains) with a sharp
boundary. This domain evolves under a change of parameters of the potential and
of the size of matrices. The boundary of the support of eigenvalues is a real
section of a complex curve. Algebro-geometrical properties of this curve encode
physical properties of random matrix ensembles. This curve can be treated as a
limit of a spectral curve which is canonically defined for models of finite
matrices. We interpret the evolution of the eigenvalue distribution as a growth
problem, and describe the growth in terms of evolution of the spectral curve.
We discuss algebro-geometrical properties of the spectral curve and describe
the wave functions (normalized characteristic polynomials) in terms of
differentials on the curve. General formulae and emergence of the spectral
curve are illustrated by three meaningful examples.
