Borodin Symphony No. 2. 1st Mvt.

[MissNastika]

one mistake, it isn't B minor, it's h-moll and Borodin lived 1833-1887

[DypaJlowaDb]

ПОЧЕМУ НАШИХ КОМПОЗИТОРОВ ОБСУЖДАЮТ НЕРУССКИЕ?! РЕБЯТА, ПРОСЫПАЙТЕСЬ, А ТО ЕЩЕ НАШИХ БУДУТ ПРИЧИСЛЯТЬ К ИХ ДОСТОЯНИЯМ.

Русские великий народ!

[werkzeug0]

@DypaJlowaDb что тут нам обсуждать? Мы и так знаем, что мы великий народ. Единственная наша проблема - дурацкая доброта к зверью и прочей неруси. Пора завязывать с этим.

[kingsott]

Please note amended details for Borodin: 1833 - 1887 .

[minaolenmarkus]

heaven

[bharrismac]

it shouldn't be played this fast! still, a great piece of music.

[Franki13TDWP]

last minute practice xD

[beanzaronii]

Borodin the Badass

[trumpetman923]

What an underrated symphony!

[AndersonDE7]

Borodin was a Russian physician who turned to composing music late in life. What a genius he was!

[PacRimJim]

What's amazing is that composition was Borodin's hobby. He was both a surgeon and an internationally respected chemist (who dropped dead dancing). Whatta guy!

This particular interpretation seems to take the first movement too fast, like a galloping horse. It should savor the exotic melodies.

[Stravinsky91]

@PacRimJim I would really like to see a movie about Borodins life :) :) that would be awesome!

[wondermusic63]

Crescendo at the very last chord? Never heard it that way. Beautiful symphony though I think it's hurried up!

[robthepsycho]

This movement is one hell of a lot of fun to play...

[Raijjin242]

Day 9 made me do it!

[MultiMusicman96]

My orchestra will never sound like this!

[piahsp12]

I love this symphony. This one and Shostakovich's 5th are my favourite Russian symphonies.

[easlovo]

The movement is "allegro" and this is hardly too fast for allegro. I think this movement is commonly taken too slow, which leads to accusations that this normal tempo is too fast.

[99999newo]

LOVE the chord at 2:22 My fav bit. We played this in my youth orchestra last night. I LOVE it :L

[handzmusic]

Tooo fast, sounds bit funny, when compared to other recordings I have heard, like someone speedet it up... It is great symphony, not complicated, clear and to the point, I like borodins melodies.

[withbarehands]

as a string player, this piece was frightening. accidentals are definitely not our friends in this one. not that they generally are. but all around its a great piece. personally, i think borodin should have just stuck chemistry.

[gogidaragoi]

The symphony has a name "Bogatyr symphony". Bogatyrs were epic Russian heroes, huge mighty men, embodying the whole strength of Russian nation. And the 1st movement is called "Assembly of Bogatyrs". They weren't the ones to move so fast. That's why this tempo is not appropriate.

[133742069]

too fast 

[lolmanlolify]

haha our conductor loves russain music... this is the greatest song i've heard, at least the greatest russian one XD

[Alexkitty15]

I am going into symphony orchestra at my school and this is our first song.... no pressure?

[steeeeevve]

I think you should point out that SOME scores are VERY ungrateful to read because of ghastly typography such as the SOCERER'S APPRENTICE (original score).

Love your vids.

[NeuroticoAnonimo]

@steeeeevve I was not aware of that kind of problem, since I'm musically illiterate... but it is very interesting. It would certainly suck being forced to become a cryptographer when trying to perform a piece.

The only thing that I can think could be worse, is being forced to read a great novel printed in comic sans font.

[fashionguru16]

@steeeeevve I had to play the Socerer's Apprentice and the necessity to decipher the music definitely took away from my enjoyment of it.

[Nazisfold]

Amazing....

[5610winston]

I read somewhere that Liszt admired this symphony, assuring Borodin that it was entirely new, that nothing like it had ever been written before, and that he (Borodin) was on the right track.

Note how the time shifts between 2/2 and 3/2. The subtle tempo variations? Those are noted in the score!

[luziazul2]

Yes. There IS.  COCORICO !

[NitraicAcid]

borodine rewrote it so it could sound better when played at a lower tempo

[jasonfu6699]

What year was this recorded?

[bharrismac]

we just started working on new music and this is one of our pieces for the next concert. our conductor was telling a story how two or three cellos broke strings while performing this piece. i really enjoy this piece.

[comicboookguy]

If there's a better Russian symphony than this, I haven't heard it.

[NeuroticoAnonimo]

Not sure this is the best Russian symphony I have heard, but it is certainly the most "Russian" one.

[AdvocateToTheAccuser]

@NeuroticoAnonimo Agreed. It oozes Russianness. It's "Russian" dial is at 11.

[nickmaestro]

@NeuroticoAnonimo Whoops I accidentally hit the thumb down button when I meant thumbs up. I agree with you totally. A pure Russian symphony.

[comicboookguy]

@NeuroticoAnonimo Agreed, it really isn't. It may arguably be the most tuneful. It should be more popular, anyway.

[laertesdd]

@NeuroticoAnonimo

well chosen words, i must say.

[Ahelphand]

@comicboookguy

hence 'comicbook guy'...

[comicboookguy]

@Ahelphand Yeah, my comment was a bit over the top. Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev. Well, the Borodin ranks somewhere in the top 10 Russian Symphonies, anyway.

[marcusantonius90]

@comicboookguy Tchaikovsky symphonies 4 to 6 - on a par with Beethoven and Brahms.

[comicboookguy]

@marcusantonius90 Yep, totally agree with you. I really am LOL at my original post. Oh well, I was only being a Borodin propagandist. I just wish more people knew about it.

[muurtalo]

@comicboookguy looks like you haven't heard a whole lot of Russian symphonies. This one is superb though...

[comicboookguy]

@muurtalo Actually, I have. And, looking back, my post is rather ill-considered. At least my liking for the Symphony is genuine, but agreed, it is only in the top ten, certainly not greater than the best of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich or Prokfiev. Just a bit over-enthusiastic.

[bojman]

@comicboookguy Tchaikovsky's symphonies?

[steeeeevve]

@comicboookguy Tschaikovsky's aren't bad..

[Prismer6]

@steeeeevve Tchaikovsky's aren't bad. They're INCREDIBLE!!!

[steeeeevve]

@Prismer6

I was being droll. ..As in humour?

[Prismer6]

@steeeeevve I'm glad! My apologies for not catching on.

[hoesey]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

[valeo626]

word!

[jacksongrant15]

Russian music is the most emotional.

[ViolaHero]

My orchestra and I just performed this. I love this so much.

[cellomaniac14]

My orchestra is performing this on Wednesday =) (Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra)

[2cello]

YES! this is sam btw. see the video of the fugue

[cellomaniac14]

I'm sorry but I'm not sure who you are lol

[2cello]

6th chair cello. eyso

[cellomaniac14]

Oh ya, I know you! You were the guy who was like, "Dr. Prior, I just sent you an email." lol right?

[lordjesq]

Eek. Waaay too fast on the open. Maybe a third of that tempo would have been appropriate. What an atrocity to such a beautiful piece of music! The conductor must have had the runs that night. You just can't rush Russian music. You'll get humbled every time. It's too rich to ruch. It'd be like wolfing custard. You'll get sick. Aah...which brings me back to the conductor.

[kelsinor26]

that made me laugh SOO much! but at the reiteration at 0:45 it feels like they pulled back a tad...

[FullKevlar]

Indeed!

[duubie420]

@lordjesq acctually it was written at this tempo......if you listen to it as it goes on it evens out...it may seem like the conductor would be waving like a maniac to do this but its in cut time[2 beats a measure not 4] i kno cuz i play it at my school and its truly amazing when played right

[Generalbob117]

@lordjesq Well.....

I'm performing this next week, and the conductor pointed something interesting out, that the tempo marking of "half note = 90" is a mistake, and that it should be "Quarter = 90" instead. This flows a lot better, and also keeps a much better time than the half. This is because Borodin was primarily a Chemist, and left a lot of the details to people like Rimsky-Korsakov. I think it's interesting.

[laertesdd]

@lordjesq

don't make the mistake to compare every interpretation with the one you heard first or prefer. leave the conductor room to let his personality influence the music!

[exarkunrocks]

@lordjesq i completely agree... i've played this twice already and heard it innumerable times and every time i hear it it's twice as slow if not more slower than this... this is a great piece but sped up. it almost sounds like a joke. gahh

[StanleyKSCBP]

I think Borodin was great considering he was a scientist in chemistry and had to do that a lot of the time. My orchestra have just started working on this but I'm only playing second Bassoon which is still fun, obviously because this is Classical music - top music

[20thCenturyPlatypus]

The strings parts are really hard - Im not even grade 3 in viola, and I'm being made to play this (a bit slower, thank god) at a concert in the not to far away future...

[jamesstone123]

written oddly enough in 1/1 :S strangest time signature i've ever heard possible lmao

[whowhobrick]

what about 2/1???

[jamesstone123]

which can be re-written in most cases as 8/4. 1/1 is pretty unique because its structure makes it difficult to write as anything else.

[5610winston]

@jamesstone123 The second mvt (scherzo) is in 1/1, Borodin did that to emphasize that it should be played as fast as possible. I read somewhere that the conductor still managed to mess it up.

The real fireworks are in the finale, though. Sounds as big as all the Steppes, Tatar horsemen and all!

Contrasting accounts called the premier of this piece a triumph or a flop.

[ArturoAlejandroS]

I can't understand why the reggaton scum music,the gangst rap it's more popular than this.This is extremly pure,marvelous,beautiful,power­ful,great,

energic music.

The slavic music it's so pure and charming.

[mIsSJeSTR]

Oh gosh, this song gets stuck in your head forever. Haha, we skipped this movement and played the third one only.

[jacotrumpet]

wait what orch are you taling about?

u talkin about District XII orch, right? cuz i was in it!!

[ClassicalFavourites1]

Such an amazing symphony! One of the best russian symphonies along with the symphonies of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov!

[Pitusha]

Too fast!!!!

[Kimberleg]

We're playing this in orchestra atm - I'm 1st clarinettist

The main theme (see opening) is WAY too fast on this recording; is MUCH better slower and more heavily emphasised ... seriously evil stuff

[SexyNerd4u]

lol Kimberleg, this is one of the slower openings I've heard on a recording.

I love it when its hair raising fast. Chilling

[connorross123]

Only symphony I've ever heard where I was hooked in 5 seconds.

[majik2hanz]

Exactly . If I remember my classical music this sym and beethoven;s 5th are two of the few to start out that way ...a forceful intro...perhaps there are others but I can't think of any with such immediacy of central theme. This is one of most underrated symphonies....

[celebriangel]

True - but having played it I can understand why. I loved it, but in places the orchestration is suspect, and the phrasing...difficult to follow. The motto of our rehearsals was 'wherever it sounds like you should come in...don't.'

Still, I loved it to death by the end *hums theme*

[whowhobrick]

Haydns 104 symohony maybe..

[bestdirector88]

@connorross123 um.... beethoven's 5th?

[Millieardo]

i love this piece! we are playing it for our ISSMA competition next month.

[billyguns2]

Many thanks for uploading this, the best ever recording of Borodin's Second and yes, I know the Kubelik and Varviso versions. This was one of RCA's best sounding LIVING STEREO releases, with sensational brass. The flip side had a great Rimsky CAPRICCIO ESPAGNOLE.