Classical > Borodin, Alexander Porfir'yevich Classical

The musical chemist

Advantages: Best of Borodin's compositions
Disadvantages: Extracts only

Given the quality of his music, it is surprising to note that Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was never a professional musician. Musical composition for him was more of a hobby. After graduating in medicine and taking up a profession in chemistry. Borodin’s musical output was understandably small since his work was a product of his spare time only. However, despite being only a part time composer Borodin’s work, as you can hear on this CD, was in no ...
...patriotism and “truth in music”. The group referred to as “The Five” or the 'The Mighty Handful” also included Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev and Cui. This CD, “The World of Borodin” released on the Decca label, provides indisputable evidence of Borodin’s talents. Containing extracts from his best known works, it is a kind of “greatest hits compilation”. Borodin composed only one opera, Prince Igor. Begun in 1869, Borodin spent almost eighteen ...

MAFARRIMOND 16.10.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The World of Borodin

'Classical genius for the classically untrained'

Advantages: Classical music of the highest order providing 'Where have I heard this before?' entertainment.
Disadvantages: A pathetic excuse to release classical genius, along with poor album art and information.

...am by no means a classical fanatic, and do not regularly listen to this music genre. However, upon browsing the track listings, I knew enough to recognise composers such as 'Beethoven', 'Bach' and 'Tchaikovsky'. At just £1.72, I therefore purchased my bargain thinking it would receive just the once over. 'Classical Greatest Hits' was originally released in 2003 on an import-only basis, and later re-released in May 2004 in white format. The album ...
...follows a list of each classical piece featured on the album, the orchestra performing it, the conductor's name and the pop hit it inspired. One has to question the need to show how classical music inspires popular culture, and whether it would have been more appropriate to simply release the album for the classical masterpieces alone. The Tracks - Wagner… Before purchasing this compilation, I had a limited knowledge of classical music. Wagner's ...

Bakerboykev 02.03.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Classical Greatest Hits

Buy, don't borrow this Borodin.

Advantages: Impressive performance of interesting opera at an unbeatable price
Disadvantages: You will be left wanting more

Introduction: There simply isn't anything to beat the adrenalin shot of being one of maybe 120 people on stage performing some major musical masterpiece in front of a hopefully packed house. Orchestral playing is totally addictive! So when I was recently asked to play in the 2nd violin section of the orchestra for a weekend opera workshop, I didn't have to hesitate before saying yes. I was told it would involve around 15 hours of rehearsal from ...
...performance of the entire opera. Loads of playing = lots of fun! The opera in question was Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin's "Prince Igor". Since I didn't know the opera apart from the famous Polovtsian Dances, I thought it might be good to get a CD of it before going to the weekend. Whilst my sight-reading is pretty good, there is nothing more embarrassing as an orchestral player to turn the page, be confronted by an unexpected sight of lots of ...

Maestrolover 05.07.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Borodin: Prince Igor - Highlights

Sumptuous works by a little-known composer

Advantages: Good recordings of unfamiliar, but rewarding works
Disadvantages: None

Karlowicz is a relatively unknown composer whose chief claim to fame was his untimely death in a skiing accident just before the First World War. He left a small collection of works, the later of which (figured in this disc) show a talent that was tragically snuffed out before he could achieve greatness. The Symphonic Poems featured here reveal a composer adept at interesting orchestral effects (try the sad theme at the start of the Lithuanian Rhapsody, ...
...writing for the lower-toned instruments of the orchestra. Karlowicz has clearly learnt a lot from Richard Strauss, whose shadow fell across much pre-1914 music, but it often lacks the extrovert quality of the Gernman composer's tone poems; as the inlay notes say, there is a 'brooding' quality to much of this music, particularly evident in the middle sections of these works. Another feature of Karlowicz's writing is his tendency to pick himself up ...

chivhu 15.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Karlowicz: Symphonic Poems Vol 1

Music for Meditation

Advantages: A good introduction to sacred music
Disadvantages: A rather niche album on which those into the genre will find nothing new

...the same. Requiem is subtitled "music for Reflection and Meditation". It takes various well known settings of the requiem mass, together with a couple of other fitting pieces and puts them together in one place. If one is so minded, one should note that this album is NOT a requiem mass. The pieces don't follow in the right order but, having said that, to the knowledgeable, the whole album stands on its own as a good religious set. One of the other ...
...who are less well-known. When one says "requiem" one might think of Verdi or Mozart but here we also have offerings from Spanish composer Lobo (a motet) and the Italian Pergolesi (an extract from his Sabat Mater). I feel that Naxos have really got it right with this compilation. The perfect balance between the known and the unknown is struck with excerpts from the more well known Requiems by Mozart and Verdi featuring more than once meaning ...

CareBear 15.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Requiem - Classical Music for Reflection & Meditation