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Lovely classics

A masterpiece by Alexander Borodin. Popular classical music.

Here is an introduction to Alexander Borodin, a composer known as one of the “Mighty Handful” (the Russian Five) in the world of classical music.

While many classical composers are full-time musicians who make their living performing or composing, Borodin was an exceptional figure: he entered the medical faculty at the University of St.

Petersburg, graduated at the top of his class, and went on to serve as an assistant professor and then professor of biochemistry at his alma mater—his primary profession was that of a chemist.

He even called himself a “Sunday composer,” and because he composed in the intervals between his scientific work, his output is not large.

Nevertheless, he left many remarkable works, including the Polovtsian Dances and his String Quartet No.

2.

Here, we present Borodin’s masterpieces, movement by movement, paired with outstanding performances.

Please enjoy these superb works that you’d never guess were written by someone whose day job was chemistry!

A masterpiece by Alexander Borodin. Popular classical music (41–50)

From ‘Petite Suite’, No. 7Alexander Borodin

Borodin “Nocturno” de la Petite Suite, Inés Sabatini, piano
From 'Petite Suite', No. 7Alexander Borodin

From Petite Suite, No.

7: Nocturne – Andantino, subtitle: The girl falls asleep, content in love.

This Petite Suite bears the subtitle “A Little Poem of a Young Girl’s Love,” and each piece also has its own subtitle.

Piano performance by Ines Sabatini.

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Alexandre Borodin’s masterpieces. Popular classical music (51–60)

Seeking the distant shores of my homelandAlexander Borodin

Dmitri Hvorostovsky – For the shores of your far homeland
Seeking the distant shores of my homelandAlexander Borodin

From the song cycle: For the shores of your far homeland.

A work by Borodin at age 48.

Baritone solo by Dmitri Hvorostovsky, with piano accompaniment by M.

Arkadiev.

From a concert at the Russian Museum of Ethnography in Saint Petersburg.

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Petite Suite Op. 1 No. 1: In the MonasteryAlexander Borodin

Aleksandr Borodin, one of the leading composers of the Russian nationalist school, left many works that actively incorporate elements of Russian folk music.

The first piece of his major piano work, Petite Suite Op.

1, “In the Monastery,” is filled with a meditative atmosphere that evokes the serene life of a young woman in a convent.

Brimming with beautiful Russian lyricism, this piece is recommended for beginner to intermediate piano learners—a fine work that conveys Borodin’s unique charm.

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In conclusion

Alexander Borodin, whose main profession was chemistry, left many masterpieces despite his numerous works.

He even called himself a “Sunday composer,” and is counted among the renowned composers known as “The Five,” a group led by fellow Russian composer Mily Balakirev that sought to create nationalistic art music in late 19th-century Russia.

Borodin’s works convey a distinctly Russian character, and among them are pieces overflowing with love dedicated to his delicate wife, Ekaterina Sergeyevna Protopopova, which reveal his deeply human side.

His background doesn’t fit the typical image of a professional musician, which may make him feel more approachable.

I hope you will continue to listen to Borodin’s music.

Thank you for watching.