Nocturne
String Quartet No. 2 · arr. Hauser · 432 Hz
The most loved page he ever wrote. The third movement of his second quartet, here in 432 Hz tuning.
Classical · Russian Romantic · 1833 · 1887
Alexander Borodin
Chemist and composer. Borodin was a working scientist who wrote his music in the evenings and on holidays, a member of the Mighty Handful who built a Russian voice for the symphony and the opera. He left Prince Igor unfinished at his death; Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov completed it from his sketches. From the Polovtsian Dances to the long arc of the Second Symphony, the listener walks a Russia of steppe, prince, and song.
XI selections · 5h 15m
Individual works
Symphony, chamber music, and orchestral pieces
Symphony No. 2
B minor
His "heroic" symphony. Russian epic material in four movements; Borodin's most fully realized symphony.
In the Steppes of Central Asia · Polovtsian Dances
432 Hz
Two of his greatest orchestral pages in 432 Hz tuning. The desert caravan, and the dances of the Polovtsian camp.
Kismet
after Borodin
The orchestral suite drawn from his music for the Broadway musical Kismet. Borodin's themes carried into a new century.
Nocturne
String Quartet No. 2 · Dover Quartet · 432 Hz
The Nocturne in its original chamber form. The Dover Quartet, in 432 Hz tuning.
Polovtsian Dances
from Prince Igor
The famous dance suite from Act II of Prince Igor. The captive prince watches the Polovtsian camp at celebration.
Scherzo
for orchestra
A short orchestral scherzo. Borodin in his most playful concert mode.
Extended listening
Prince Igor
The complete opera, in four acts. Russia, captivity, and the long return.
Prince Igor · Act I
Complete
The first act of his unfinished opera, completed after his death by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. The prince departs for war, and Russia is left in shadow.
Prince Igor · Act II
Complete
The Polovtsian camp. The captive prince refuses freedom; the celebrated Polovtsian Dances close the act.
Prince Igor · Act III
Complete
The Polovtsian Khan, the prince's escape, and the long return.
Prince Igor · Act IV
Complete
The return. Russia in mourning until the prince comes home, and the opera ends in chorus.