Borodin: Symphony No.2/In The Steppes Of Central Asia/Prince Igor

Wonderful & deeply felt recording of Prince Igor

Borodin's Prince Igor with choir is my favourite music, having once sung myself in Chesterton Choir Cambridge, and I've been searching for definitive recording. Most of recommended recordings hurry the music along spoiling the beautiful melody and intricate harmony. Solti's Formula One rendition is the worst one even though highly recommended by Penguin Guide.

I picked up this CD in a second-hand shop in London simply because it was cheap, and got a nice surprise. This unkown conductor paces each section of the music wisely and manages to bring best out of the music, achieving both nostalgic beauty of the female chorus and excitement of the fast sections. Male chorus blends beautifully with orchestra and female chorus. This might not be definitive version, but in the same class as Stokowski's famous DECCA Phase4 recording and BBC Legend live recording.
February 11, 2008

An Okay Buy - Not Spectacular

This CD wasn't as good as I anticipated. It had what I wanted on it, but not much more. I'm glad that I bought it, but I wasn't blown away by it. May 23, 2007

Borodin...

I did enjoy this disc. I got it at a bargain price to boot! Classical music with real musicians showing us their skills. My only complaint is that I wished that the recording was of better quality! Five stars for the music - Three stars for the disc! February 3, 2007

Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia

This is where the music from the musical "Kismet" came from. Very Melodic and beautiful. CD arrived very timely and was pristine. Thank you. November 10, 2006

It's called the pentatonic scale

This recording of the Borodin b minor symphony is excellent, and the colorful orchestration that entranced Debussy and his colleagues is easily heard due to the clear sound (too clear in the first movement, actually - one of the cello players sounded a little tinny to me). The first movement, with its blatantly nationalistic motto theme, is balanced with a sparkling scherzo and an andante with an achingly beautiful song-like theme. The finale, with the exuberance characteristic of Borodin and of the Mighty Five in general, is sprightly and cheerful. Its main theme is pentatonic (consisting of a five-note scale), like most music from folk sources (yes, including America, which does not mean that we "ripped" it from anywhere, simply that it is the single most pervasive system of tonal organization in the world). This recording is highly recommended, as it represents the vast majority of Borodin's orchestral output, and not badly, either. June 22, 2006

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