Alexander Borodin: Fürst Igor auf 3 CDs

Product Information

Prince Igor and the complete edition of 1890

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was a chemist by profession, and had an international reputation as a scientist. He wrote only a handful of pieces. However, in addition to his only opera Prince Igor these include standard works of the repertoire such as From the Steppes of Central Asia, the В minor Symphony, and the two string quartets. It is no accident that a famous Russian string quartet bears his name.

The opera Prince Igor was composed between 1869 and 1887, and never finished by Borodin. After his death Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov completed the work. It is based on the ancient Russian epic The Song of Igor's Campaign, which tells of how on a number of occa¬sions in the 12th century the Kievan empire was attacked by the Polovtsi. By being divided into many principalities, the country was disunited, and unable to meet the danger. In 1185 Prince Igor, acting without the knowledge of the Kievan Grand Duke, and without the support of the other princes of the empire, set out on a campaign, in the course of which his troops were crush-ingly defeated, and he and his son taken prisoner: The failure of the campaign meant that the enemy was able to invade the country and wreak terrible revenge.

Despite its subject matter, Borodin's opera is not a lavish depiction of a battlefield. Rather, he presents a colorful picture of the early Middle Ages with large and sublime choruses, pas¬sionate songs, and elegiac and tender melodies. He creates intensely interesting characters, comes down on the side of the Russians, and none the less manages to depict the strange and alien character of the enemy camp in a compelling and sensitive manner. Thus the Polovtsian dances have been taken from their original context, and have become a popular piece that is fre¬quently played in concerts and on the radio.

The rise to fame of this epic Russian opera was unspectacular, though irresistible. It was first performed at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in 1890. The first perform¬ance at the Bolshoi Theatre was in 1898, and the opera has been part of its standard repertoire ever since. In fact, the Bolshoi Theatre has at its disposal the kind of first-class singers that the work requires, and it also has a suitably large chorus.

Sizeable cuts are made when Prince Igor is performed at most opera houses, and in recent decades a number of experimental versions have sought to remove the additions made by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. However, the Bolshoi Theatre continues to use the tradition¬al edition produced by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov for the first per¬formance of the opera in 1890. (melody. su)