Music #373 - Alexander Borodin

Alexander Borodin 

(1833-1887)

Prince Igor 

Written mainly by Borodin, this opera is about a Russian prince Igor against the invading Polovtsian  tribes in 1185. Polovtsy (which the old Russians called the Cumans) was a nomadic tribe migrated from China to the Black Sea area in the 11^th Century.  

* Prince Igor  - movie (1972) with English subtitles

The best-known theme from the opera is the 
"Gliding Dance of the Maidens". 

* on stage - with lyrics in Russian and Spanish

* in movie -  ('Polovetzian Dances from Prince Igor')

Ring a bell, Stranger in Paradise?

* Engelbert Humperdinck

Second Symphony

Nocturne

- from String Quartet No.2

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In the Steppes of Central Asia    

The work was originally intended to celebrate the silver anniversary of the reign of Alexander II of Russia, who had done much to expand the Russian Empire eastward. 
     The intended production never occurred, but the work itself became, and has remained, a concert favorite ever since its first concert performance in 1880.
     This orchestral work idyllically depicts an interaction of Russians and Asians in the steppe lands of the Caucasus. A caravan of Central Asians is crossing the desert under the protection of Russian troops.