(1833 - 1887)
Alexander Borodin was born in St Petesburg 1833 and died in 1887 and made his living as a chemist. He was the illegitimate son of a Georgian Prince who had him registered instead as the son of one of his serfs. He received a good education including piano lessons but it was chemistry in which he specialised and he did not receive any formal lessons in composition until 1863, when he was taught by Mily Balakirev. In 1869, Balakirev conducted Borodin's first symphony and in the same year Borodin started on his second symphony. Also in 1869 Borodin began work on his opera, Prince Igor, seen by some to be his most significant piece. It contains the Polovtsian Dances, which are often performed as a stand-alone work. Borodin left the opera incomplete at his death, composition being slowed by his heavy workload as a chemist. It was completed posthumously by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov.
Alexander Borodin Composition Timpani and Percussion Requirements
Polovtsian Dance (from Prince Igor)
Timpani
Int'l 32/29/26/26 Prem 32/30/28/25
4 percussion
Snare drum, triangle, glockenspiel, orchestral bass drum, clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, tambourine
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Prince Igor (complete)
Timpani + 6 percussion
1) glockenspiel, tam tam 1, tambourine, 2) snare drum, off stage bass bell, 3) clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, 4) orchestral bass drum, tam tam 2, 5) triangle, off stage snare drum, 6) off stage snare drum
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Symphony No 2
Timpani + 4 percussion
Tambourine, triangle, orchestral bass drum, clash cymbals
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