Borodin - In the Steppes of Central Asia (1880), played on period instruments

[wks1978]

This is one of the best recordings of this piece I have heard. I like the tempo here. There are too many recordings where the tempo seems too slow and makes the piece drag.

The use of 19th century instruments is interesting, but i wonder if there's a little tendency to over-phrase at times in order to make the style sound different to the mainstream, particularly from the strings.

Still, great performance!

[hellomate639]

@wks1978

The fast tempo is more traditional, actually.

The older the recordings, the less slow and embellished most things are. The mainstream is simply wrong. Everyone thinks that playing it slow is right, as if playing it more slowly is "being expressive."

Then, they think that people who play it at a normal tempo (fast to them) are showing off or are mechanically expressive.

Really, it's ignorance that makes people think like that...

[xingsheng1]

I so totally connected with this music and this scenery......maybe one of my past lives? I am always convinced that I had been a Russian once..........

[hellomate639]

@xingsheng1

Hehe. I dont go to the supernatural, but I do too feel connected to the nature of Russia and other parts of Asia. My favorite composer is Rachmaninoff and I've always had an affinity for Russian composition.

There's no Russian in my blood. The closest thing is Finnish, which I don't have much of.

[tiffanyviolin82]

I am reading an article right now that mentions this work by Ralph Locke. He doesn't mention the use of actual folk melodies for this particular work, though he seems to think the composer intended to evoke certain exoticisms in homage to central asia. It would be interesting to look for further evidence...

[peaceric]

what a beautiful piece. i wonder if he used any folk tunes, or if all the themes are original?

[newFranzFerencLiszt]

this is one of my favorite symphonic poems ever