Alexandre Borodine
Though far from prolific as a composer -- by day he was a scientist noted for his research on aldehydes -- Alexander Borodin nevertheless earned a secure place in the history of Russian music. As a creative spirit, he was the most accomplished of the Russian nationalist composers. He had a particular gift for the distinctive stripe of exoticism so evident in his most frequently performed work, the "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera Prince Igor.
The illegitimate son of a Georgian prince and a doctor's wife, Borodin enjoyed a comfortable upbringing. As a child he learned to play several instruments and tried his hand at composing, but other aptitudes directed his formal education. He studied chemistry at St. Petersburg's Medico-Surgical Academy, obtaining his doctorate in 1858 and pursuing further studies in Europe until 1862. Upon his return to Russia, he became a professor at his alma mater, but even as an academic career apparently loomed before him, he maintained a devotion to music.
Under the influence of Mily Balakirev, whom he met in 1862, Borodin became interested in applying elements of Russian folk music to works for the concert hall and stage. He joined a circle of like-minded composers -- Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Cui -- famously dubbed "The Five" or "The Mighty Handful." The influence of Balakirev in particular is at once in evident in the Symphony No. 1 in E flat major (1867). Borodin began the much craggier Symphony No. 2 in B minor in 1869, the same year he commenced labor on his most important work, the opulent four-act opera Prince Igor. While it took him more than five years to complete the symphony, work on Prince Igor dragged on for decades. Borodin, who had in the meantime completed a number of other works, left the opera unfinished at the time of his death. It was completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov, a skillful craftsman and a particularly apt match for Borodin's colorful musical character, and Alexander Glazunov. Glazunov also completed the Symphony No. 3 in A minor, which the composer had been working on until the time of his death.
Aside from teaching chemistry and conducting research, Borodin helped found a series of medical courses for women in 1872. Such activities, as well as the poor health that plagued him in the 1880s, drained the energy that he might have devoted to composition. Still, as a part-time composer, he left a significant oeuvre: more than a dozen worthy songs, miscellaneous piano pieces, two string quartets (the second of which contains a ravishing Nocturne often performed in an arrangement for string orchestra), and the popular tone poem In the Steppes of Central Asia (1880). Borodin died while attending a ball in St. Petersburg on February 27, 1887.
© James Reel /TiVo
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The Very Best of Borodin
Klassiek - Released by Past Classics on 8 aug. 2012
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Charles Kullman (Recorded 1931 - 1938)
Opera - Released by Prima Voce on 1 jan. 2006
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Borodin - Falla: Famous Classical Works, Vol. XXV
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by SB Clasic on 15 okt. 2002
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Petite Suite (Electronic Version)
Electronic - Released by Digi Records on 6 feb. 2022
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Russian Spectacular (Vol 3)
The Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra
Symfonische muziek - Released by Stradivari Classics on 1 jan. 1989
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50 Relaxing Classical Favourites
Klassiek - Released by OMP Classics on 30 jun. 2013
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50 Dramatic Classical Favourites
Klassiek - Released by OMP Classics on 30 jun. 2013
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Kismet (Studio Cast Recording)
Originele soundtracks - Released by Stage Door on 1 jan. 1961
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Speach Therapy Lessons
House - Released by What Now Becomes on 2 jul. 2014
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Polovietzkian
Symfonische muziek - Released by Music Hit Factory on 1 dec. 2008
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The Ghost Tower (Original Mix)
Digitalic, Alexandre Borodine, Meditelectro
House - Released by Meditelectro on 16 jan. 2024
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Deauville
House - Released by Spindisc Recordings on 23 sep. 2013
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Touch The (Original Mix)
Divers - Released by Doma Musique on 19 mei 2014
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Comrade EP
Divers - Released by Deep Sense Records on 22 jul. 2014
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People Lovin
Electronic - Released by Spindisc Recordings on 26 jul. 2013
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Paloma
Electronic - Released by Spindisc Recordings on 15 aug. 2013
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Input EP (Original Mix)
Divers - Released by Deep Sense Records on 14 jan. 2015
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Return EP (Original Mix)
Divers - Released by HDR Limit on 3 feb. 2014
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Little Helpers 139 (Original Mix)
House - Released by Little Helpers on 26 aug. 2014
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Metamorfosi EP (Original Mix)
Techno - Released by Vinylisme Records on 3 feb. 2014
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