Alexander Borodin Popular Song Ranking [2026]

Second Movement from the Piano Quintet in C minorAlexander Borodin22rank/position

Alexander Borodin, Piano quintet en Do Menor– Scherzo

From the Piano Quintet in C minor, Movement II: Scherzo.

Performed by: piano – Nil Sole Bachs; violins – Clara Garriga Traugott and Pol Risvanoglu Collado; viola – Jordi Freixa Giner; cello – Emma Salsuela Castro.

Piano Quintet in C minor, 3rd movementAlexander Borodin23rank/position

Borodin quintet IIImv AmernetStringQ&KatarinaMisicPiano 1

From the Piano Quintet in C minor, Movement III: Finale.

Performed by pianist Katarina Pipovic Misic and the Amernet String Quartet: violinists Misha Vitenson and Franz Felkl, violist Michael Klotz, and cellist Jason Calloway.

Polka ‘Helene’Alexander Borodin24rank/position

Viktor und Alexander Urvalov, A. Borodin, Polka

In 19th-century Russia, Alexander Borodin earned high acclaim as a composer while also distinguishing himself as a scientist.

Although he called himself a “Sunday composer,” he left behind remarkable works such as In the Steppes of Central Asia and Prince Igor.

This lively piano piece was composed by Borodin when he was just nine years old.

He later arranged it for piano four hands, and it is said to reflect his feelings for his first love.

With its bright, cheerful rhythms, the piece offers a glimpse of Borodin’s budding musical genius.

Symphony No. 1: IV. MovementAlexander Borodin25rank/position

Symphony No.1 in E-Flat Major: IV. Finale. Allegro molto vivo

If you ever get the chance to hear it, I’d like to introduce a truly precious hidden gem by Alexander Borodin.

This is the first symphony Borodin composed, written between 1862 and 1867.

Its premiere was a private performance within the Russian Musical Society; although it was played a few more times afterward, it never became very popular.

Still, as an orchestral work it is a fully accomplished piece.

Across its four movements, there are engaging call-and-response passages among the woodwinds, brass, and strings, and the powerful tutti sections, brimming with distinctly Russian drive, are real highlights.

If anyone connected with an orchestra is reading this, please consider performing this underrated masterpiece.

Compared to Symphony No.

2, live performances are rare, which makes any opportunity to hear it especially valuable—so if you can, be sure to go! You might be the one to spread the word about how great this piece is.

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From Symphony No. 2, Movement IAlexander Borodin26rank/position

Borodin: Symphony No. 2 in B minor, 1st movement — Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic

This is the first movement of Alexander Borodin’s Symphony No.

2.

It opens with an intense tutti in which all the strings—violins, violas, cellos, and double basses—play the same melody, leaving a strong impression.

Begun in 1869, the same year as his opera Prince Igor, Borodin himself called this first movement “épique” (“heroic”), and its relentless, rugged grandeur permeates the work, with the movement’s “heroic” theme recurring cyclically throughout.

When performed with a fiery orchestral energy, this movement is so powerful that the excitement carries into the audience.

Borodin wrote three symphonies if you include the unfinished Third, but the Second is the most famous; if you want to get to know Borodin’s music, this is the one to remember.

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Symphony No. 2, Movement IIAlexander Borodin27rank/position

Borodin – Symphony No. 2 (Movt.II) – Pablo Varela, conductor

Symphony No.

2 in B minor, Movement II: Scherzo – Prestissimo; Trio – Allegretto.

Performed by the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico).

I believe it’s the university’s orchestra, and it appears to include not only students but also faculty-like members.

Conducted by Pablo Varela.

Symphony No. 3Alexander Borodin28rank/position

Borodin Symphony No 3 A minor

Aleksandr Porfiryevich Borodin, hailed as an important Russian nationalist composer, demonstrated outstanding talent in both music and science.

Born in 1833, Borodin graduated at the top of his class from the Medical Faculty of the University of St.

Petersburg and pursued musical activities while calling himself a “Sunday composer,” all while serving as a professor of chemistry.

This work is Borodin’s unfinished final composition, begun in 1882.

After his death, his friend Aleksandr Glazunov completed it, and it was premiered in 1888.

Known for its refined orchestration incorporating Russian folk songs, the work strongly reflects Borodin’s musical gifts and cultural background.

Expressing the melancholy of the Russian landscape, it is recommended not only for classical music enthusiasts but also for those interested in Russian culture.