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Alexander Porfir'evich Borodin (1833 - 1887)
It is not often that a person's hobby results in the
creation of a great masterpiece in classical music.
Despite his versatility and exceptional achievements
in different scientific fields, Borodin was a modest man and acknowledged
himself as a dilettante in music; but it was his "hobby" that
has made his name for posterity.
His friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote: "Borodin
was an exceedingly cordial and cultured man, pleasant and witty to talk
with. Visiting his house I often found him working in the laboratory
which adjoined his apartment. He sat over his retorts filled with
a colourless gas and distilled it from one vessel into another."
Borodin was primarily a scholar, a scientist with Europe-wide
recognition, specializing in chemistry and medicine. He led seminars
and participated in numerous conferences
throughout the continent. He wrote scientific reports in English,
French, German and Italian.
Borodin was the first to make medical education available
for Russian women by establishing Medical Courses in 1862.
In 1864 Borodin joined the Balakirev group of composers
and it soon became known
as the "Mighty Five". Borodin, together with other composers,
founded the Free Music
Academy, advocating music education for everyone. It was a school
for common people who were unable to pay the fees of the Academy of Music
in St. Petersburg, which had been founded by Anton Rubinstein. That
Academy, which was run by Rubinstein and established for rich townsfolk
and the nobles, was also subsidized by the Imperial government.
In 1869, Balakirev conducted Borodin's First Symphony,
and that same year, encouraged by its success, Borodin began work on his
own Second Symphony.
Borodin's symphonies are among the earliest Russian
compositions in this genre. They are not only of epic scale but also
of epic character, which determines all elements of musical language and
distinguishes Borodin's symphonies from symphonies of other Russian composers.
Beethoven's idea of monothematism as embodied in Borodin's symphonies helps
to show the agreed development of large-scale forms.
It was no struggle for most Russian composers to become musically "Russian". They always bore their national character,
though very often Glinka and the "Mighty Five" preferred composing
in different national traditions - Spanish, Polish and Eastern. Applying
themselves to these different cultures, composers first of all learned
foreign folklore and then used this knowledge to treat their own music
material accordingly.
We often find here that the "Mighty Five"
were Russian nationalists who struggled to create Russian music distinguished
from any other. In fact that was not their goal. The Russian
national music school was already established by Glinka and by the time
of the "Mighty Five" it had already influenced many other European
music schools.
The so-called antagonism of Rubinstein to the aesthetics
of the "Mighty Five" is also extremely exaggerated. Usually
we read in Western researches that Rubinstein was a follower of the Western
European tradition while the "Mighty Five" were extreme Russian
nationalists. Well, you can read it in books (paper will bear everything),
but you cannot hear it in their music.
The most popular of Borodin's symphonies is the Second
("Heroic"), though it was a failure at its premiere. Liszt
arranged another performance in Germany, in 1880, which brought Borodin
the European acclaim.
The Second symphony was composed simultaneously with
his opera "Prince Igor". Both works share similar images,
ideas and ways of expression.
Symphony #2 was especially loved by the French impressionists.
Ravel liked to entertain his friends playing the four-hand arrangement
for piano with a partner.
Among Borodin's compositions: the opera "Prince Igor" (completed by Rimsky-
Korsakov and Glazunov), three symphonies (the Third was completed by Glazunov),
orchestral pieces (the most popular is "In the Steppes of Central
Asia"), two string quartets,
piano miniatures and romances.
Borodin also was one of the founders of Russian chamber
music. The Borodin String
Quartet group has borne his name since 1945.
It is interesting that Borodin and Mussorgsky both
were illegitimate children and both
transcended their rough beginnings to become great composers and members
of the "Mighty Five". However, their deaths were very different.
Borodin died within seconds of having a heart attack while attending a
fancy ball at the Medical Academy; and Mussorgsky died slowly and painfully,
of alcoholism and poverty, in a public shelter.
Evgeni Svetlanov
(1928 - 2002) was born in Moscow. He studied piano with Maria
Gurvich, composition with Mikhail Gnessin and Yuri Shaporin and conducting
with Gauk.
After graduating from the Gnessin Institute and Moscow Conservatory he
joined the staff
of the Bolshoi as principal conductor (1963 - 1965). In 1965 he became the leader of the
USSR Symphony orchestra and was in this position till 2000.
In 1979 Svetlanov received the appointment as principal
guest conductor at the London
Symphony Orchestra and the last concert in his life was given in London
in 2002. Svetlanov received numerous honors and awards: 1968 - People's
Artist of the USSR; 1977 - the Order of Lenin; 1983 - Soviet State Prize
for Creative Achievements; 1998 - Order for Meritorious Services to the
Nation. He also was awarded the Paris Grand Prix for his recording
of the complete symphonies by Tchaikovsky. Svetlanov's work at the
position of principal conductor of the USSR Symphony Orchestra from 1965
till 2000 resulted in the performance and recording of almost the entire
Russian symphonic repertoire.
©2003
Evgeni Kostitsyn
Alexander Borodin
(1833 - 1887)
Symphony No. 1
in E flat major
1. Adagio Allegro - 13:20
2. Scherzo. Prestissimo - 6:37
3. Andante - 8:14
4. Finale. Allegro molto vivo - 6:37
Symphony No. 2
in B minor "Heroic"
5. Allegro - 9:06
6. Scherzo. Prestissimo - 5:27
7. Andante Finale. Allegro - 16:51
Total time - 66:44
The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Evgeni Svetlanov, conductor
Recorded in 1983 (1 - 4), 1966 (5 - 7)
Recording engineers - Kozhukhova (1 - 4), Gaklin (5 - 7).
Cover painting "The Bogatyrs" by Victor Vasnetsov
Design by Evgeni Kostitsyn