The Borodin Boardroom

Started by BachQ, April 12, 2007, 08:33:18 AM

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Leo K.

Quote from: SonicMan46 on February 16, 2013, 06:17:57 AM
Hi Leo - I went ahead and ordered the Lindsays - excellent reviews & a good price on the Amazon MP - Dave :)

I look forward to your thoughts, the price is very right (I love Amazon MP!)  8)

mc ukrneal

Quote from: SonicMan46 on February 16, 2013, 06:17:57 AM
Hi Leo - I went ahead and ordered the Lindsays - excellent reviews & a good price on the Amazon MP - Dave :)
Sorry I missed your post! The Borodins are the only one I have, but I enjoy them very much indeed. Hope you enjoy them too!
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

SonicMan46

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 16, 2013, 07:00:02 AM
Sorry I missed your post! The Borodins are the only one I have, but I enjoy them very much indeed. Hope you enjoy them too!

Hey Neal - I've had that Borodin's recording (the 2nd one mentioned in the post) for over 20 yrs and have listened and enjoyed the performance many times; just wanted a different & newer one - the Lindsays seem to fit the shoe for me - believe it is 'in the mail' at the moment!  Dave :)

mc ukrneal

Quote from: SonicMan46 on February 16, 2013, 07:26:01 AM
Hey Neal - I've had that Borodin's recording (the 2nd one mentioned in the post) for over 20 yrs and have listened and enjoyed the performance many times; just wanted a different & newer one - the Lindsays seem to fit the shoe for me - believe it is 'in the mail' at the moment!  Dave :)
Oops! I meant to say the Lindsay's are the one I had! I guess it's all Borodin in the end! :)
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

SonicMan46

Hi Leo & Neal - the disc below just arrived and on for a first listen.  The playing by the Linsays is just beautiful and the sound is excellent (recorded in 2002; the group 'retired' in 2005) - a remarkable set of instruments used (Stradivari & Amati); for the youthful & short (9 mins) Sextet, the group is joined by Louise Williams (Amati viola, 1616) & Raphael Wallfisch (Strad cello, 1717) - just starting the 3rd movement of the 2nd SQ (probably one of my favorite melodies which of course was re-used in Kismet); a Fanfare review is attached for interest - still like my Borodin CD but this is a worthy alternative - :)  Dave



Octave

#45
Quote from: MishaK on April 12, 2007, 08:45:21 AM
I am very fond of this Borodin performance:



Also repackaged thus:



The "Steppes of Central Asia" are particularly lovely.

Maybe I misunderstood MishaK's post, but I think these two discs are not identical.   The ESSENTIAL BORODIN (Decca) collection, for example, seems to have the famous Martinon (LSO?) recording of Symph. 2.  Also the "Steppes" included in ESSENTIAL is by Ansermet.  I bring this up because I wondered if this ESSENTIAL collection is worth getting, compared to the competing collections?  I believe Brian/Leo about the Rozhdestvensky/Brilliant, which I am certain to get; but I've heard great things about this Martinon #2....though maybe one of those sources was the Hurwitzer.  Okay, </catty>. 

Here's the ESSENTIAL contents, pardon the lazy Arkiv reposting.  Also curious if the included Solti POLOVOTSIAN DANCES includes the requisite choral activity....

Quote1. Prince Igor: Overture by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:  Sir Georg Solti
Period: Romantic
Written: 1869-1887; Russia
Date of Recording: 1966
Length: 10 Minutes 55 Secs.

2. Prince Igor: Galitzky's aria by Alexander Borodin
Performer:  Nicolai Ghiaurov ()
Conductor:  Edward Downes
Period: Romantic
Date of Recording: 1965
Length: 3 Minutes 57 Secs.

3. Prince Igor: How goes it, Prince? "Konchak's Aria" by Alexander Borodin
Performer:  Nicolai Ghiaurov ()
Conductor:  Edward Downes
Period: Romantic
Written: 1869-1887; Russia
Date of Recording: 1965
Length: 7 Minutes 12 Secs.

4. Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:  Sir Georg Solti
Period: Romantic
Written: Russia
Date of Recording: 1966
Length: 13 Minutes 49 Secs.

5. For the shores of thy far native land by Alexander Borodin
Performer:  Zlatina Ghiaurov (Piano), Nicolai Ghiaurov ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1881; Russia
Date of Recording: 1971
Length: 4 Minutes 32 Secs.

6. Symphony no 1 in E flat major by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:  Vladimir Ashkenazy
Period: Romantic
Written: 1862-1867; Russia
Date of Recording: 1992
Length: 35 Minutes 21 Secs.

7. Symphony no 2 in B minor by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:  Jean Martinon
Period: Romantic
Written: 1869-1876; Russia
Date of Recording: 1960
Length: 24 Minutes 38 Secs.

8. Quartet for Strings no 2 in D major by Alexander Borodin
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Borodin String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1881; Russia
Date of Recording: 1961
Length: 27 Minutes 9 Secs.

9. In the steppes of central Asia by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:  Ernest Ansermet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1880; Russia
Date of Recording: 1961
Length: 6 Minutes 49 Secs.

10. Symphony no 3 in A minor by Alexander Borodin
Conductor:  Ernest Ansermet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1882; Russia
Date of Recording: 1954
Length: 16 Minutes 3 Secs.
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Octave

Also curious if there's comments on the very recent Brilliant EDITION, which does not, alas, contain those Rzhdestvensky recordings, it seems:

[asin]B008GAXV84[/asin]
Help support GMG by purchasing items from Amazon through this link.

mc ukrneal

Quote from: Octave on February 22, 2013, 01:28:15 AM
Maybe I misunderstood MishaK's post, but I think these two discs are not identical.   The ESSENTIAL BORODIN (Decca) collection, for example, seems to have the famous Martinon (LSO?) recording of Symph. 2.  Also the "Steppes" included in ESSENTIAL is by Ansermet.  I bring this up because I wondered if this ESSENTIAL collection is worth getting, compared to the competing collections?  I believe Brian/Leo about the Rozhdestvensky/Brilliant, which I am certain to get; but I've heard great things about this Martinon #2....though maybe one of those sources was the Hurwitzer.  Okay, </catty>. 

Here's the ESSENTIAL contents, pardon the lazy Arkiv reposting.  Also curious if the included Solti POLOVOTSIAN DANCES includes the requisite choral activity....

The Dances do include choral parts. It's a very stirring version (then again, most of them are). The Martinon is one of the classics for this piece, so whether Hurwitz liked it or not, it has long been a classic recording. For a while, there weren't all that many other recordings, and that my explain how that happened. I like it myself - it has a lot of spirit. Of course, there may be newer recordings in better sound, but I am not familiar with any of them, being content with this. 
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

mc ukrneal

Quote from: Octave on February 22, 2013, 01:32:29 AM
Also curious if there's comments on the very recent Brilliant EDITION, which does not, alas, contain those Rzhdestvensky recordings, it seems:

[asin]B008GAXV84[/asin]
As regards this, I have the Prince Igor on this big set. I got it before the Gergiev version came out. But having heard that, I think the Gergiev is better sung and played. I am not familiar with the rest of the performers, so cannot really help there.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Leo K.

Quote from: Octave on February 22, 2013, 01:32:29 AM
Also curious if there's comments on the very recent Brilliant EDITION, which does not, alas, contain those Rzhdestvensky recordings, it seems:

[asin]B008GAXV84[/asin]

I wasn't aware of that set, I love the painting on the cover. It looks like a good set. I like Ermler's Prince Igor, so I'd probably enjoy his accounts of the symphonies on this disk.


aligreto

Borodin: Symphony No. 1 [Rozhdestvensky]





This is a really very powerful presentation of this work; possibly the most powerful that I have heard. Despite the powerful presence it is also quite a very lyrical and expansive one. This version hits the essential spot from the opening bar with its vitality and essential drive throughout. It is a really very fine performance. This is terrific music and music making. The strings drive the scoring but I give a very big nod to the woodwind writing. The second movement, Scherzo, is equally powerful in its presentation. Once again, there is a powerful presence here. The Andante is a rather lush and intense affair. The string writing in the third movement, Andante, is very fine indeed. The tone and mood of the movement is very fine and engaging. Woodwind writing is very worthy of note here. The final movement is both energetic and vital in its presentation. Both the music and the music making have a great presence. Every aspect of the wonderful scoring is very well presented here. Once again, due regard must be paid to the wonderful woodwind scoring. This is a particularly vital, very powerful, engaging and engrossing presentation of this work. The conclusion is very powerful!

kyjo

Quote from: aligreto on September 26, 2021, 04:37:13 AM
Borodin: Symphony No. 1 [Rozhdestvensky]





This is a really very powerful presentation of this work; possibly the most powerful that I have heard. Despite the powerful presence it is also quite a very lyrical and expansive one. This version hits the essential spot from the opening bar with its vitality and essential drive throughout. It is a really very fine performance. This is terrific music and music making. The strings drive the scoring but I give a very big nod to the woodwind writing. The second movement, Scherzo, is equally powerful in its presentation. Once again, there is a powerful presence here. The Andante is a rather lush and intense affair. The string writing in the third movement, Andante, is very fine indeed. The tone and mood of the movement is very fine and engaging. Woodwind writing is very worthy of note here. The final movement is both energetic and vital in its presentation. Both the music and the music making have a great presence. Every aspect of the wonderful scoring is very well presented here. Once again, due regard must be paid to the wonderful woodwind scoring. This is a particularly vital, very powerful, engaging and engrossing presentation of this work. The conclusion is very powerful!

Glad to see someone else enjoying this underrated work. In its energetic thrust and melodic memorability it easily stands with the finest Russian symphonies of the time IMO. I don't know that recording, but I can fully recommend the one with Tjeknavorian and the National Philharmonic on RCA.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

aligreto

Quote from: kyjo on September 29, 2021, 05:15:03 AM
Glad to see someone else enjoying this underrated work. In its energetic thrust and melodic memorability it easily stands with the finest Russian symphonies of the time IMO. I don't know that recording, but I can fully recommend the one with Tjeknavorian and the National Philharmonic on RCA.

Yes, a very fine work and thank you for the recommendation.

aligreto

Borodin: Symphony No. 2 [Rozhdestvensky]





Drama and tension fill the opening bars of the first movement to the brim; what a great sound! We then open up into a wonderfully expansive passage which is evocative of wide open spaces [steppes] for me. You can then literally hear the horses cantering over the landscape. OK, a bit idealised but that is what I hear. This is gloriously rich orchestration. The movement concludes as powerfully as it began. The Scherzo is a suitably lively and energetic affair. It retains the sense of expansiveness experienced in the opening movement with a lighter tone. Nice writing for the woodwind section. The slow movement is a thing of beauty. It opens with a haunting tune on the horn, accompanied by harp. This poignant tune is then taken up by the woodwinds. The scoring is filled out with wonderful strings and more brass. The harmonies are also just enough on the edgy side to make the musical language very interesting and engaging. This is very fine orchestral writing. Once again we are swept up in a swirl of energy and excitement in the wonderful dance-like tunes of the final movement. The music is well driven with moments where we can pause for breath. The music sparkles.

MusicTurner

#54
Apparently the lesser known chamber works of the Cello Sonata, the String Quintet and the Piano Quintet weren't mentioned.

Definitely worth exploring, such as in the old Marco Polo disc. I haven't heard the Brilliant Classics release.

Of course, there's a bunch of songs too, but haven't really focused on them yet.

aligreto

Borodin: Symphony No. 3 [Rozhdestvensky]





What a beguiling and enchanting opening to a symphonic work and it is so sensitively done here. Both the mood and tone both gradually develop wonderfully as the movement progresses and Rozhdestvensky both captures and retains the atmosphere remarkably well. The quality of the delivery is atmospheric, beguiling and completely captivating; it is as light as gossamer in places.
The second movement is a good contrast in terms of tempo and tone. It is more upbeat and animated, though not overly driven here. The orchestration is also more dense. Like the opening movement, the woodwind scoring is also a very fine feature here. The movement, and the work, builds satisfactorily towards a definitive resolution.

kyjo

Quote from: MusicTurner on October 02, 2021, 08:56:57 AM
Apparently the lesser known chamber works of the Cello Sonata, the String Quintet and the Piano Quintet weren't mentioned.

Definitely worth exploring, such as in the old Marco Polo disc. I haven't heard the Brilliant Classics release.

Of course, there's a bunch of songs too, but haven't really focused on them yet.

Was just listening to the Cello Sonata the other night - a very interesting work based on the fugue from Bach's G minor sonata for solo violin! Although this concept is hardly something you'd expect from Borodin, his trademark Slavic lyricism is present in the work as well.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

aligreto

I have just finished this wonderful set under the baton of Rozhdestvensky:





Petite Suite 

The writing and scoring in the first movement is marvellous. There is a great atmosphere and emotion on show. The pacing is very keen and appropriate. The tone and mood of the second movement is lighter and more pastoral with some fine writing for the range of wind instruments. The third and fourth movements deliver up another contrast of both tone and atmosphere with two very fine and charming Mazurkas. The fifth movement is titled Reverie and, once again, the writing and scoring is marvellous. I really like the somewhat poignant sixth movement, Serenade; it has something of a wistful tone to it. The final movement opens as a Scherzo but it is a real mix making for an interesting and engaging movement. The harmonies and counterpoints are wonderful throughout all of this music weaving a luxurious tapestry of sound.


Romance for Baritone and Orchestra

This is a wonderful work and regrettably all too short for me. I really like the glorious orchestration and the emotion in the writing for the baritone.


"At the Homes of Other Folk" for Mezzo-soprano and Orchestra

Another wonderful work and also regrettably all too short for me. I really like the beguiling and enchanting orchestration and the tone in the singing of the mezzo.

Polovtsian Dances

These are fine versions, are delivered with style and with an appropriate sense of atmosphere and occasion. They were a most enjoyable and engaging listen.



Irons

Quote from: aligreto on September 26, 2021, 04:37:13 AM
Borodin: Symphony No. 1 [Rozhdestvensky]





This is a really very powerful presentation of this work; possibly the most powerful that I have heard. Despite the powerful presence it is also quite a very lyrical and expansive one. This version hits the essential spot from the opening bar with its vitality and essential drive throughout. It is a really very fine performance. This is terrific music and music making. The strings drive the scoring but I give a very big nod to the woodwind writing. The second movement, Scherzo, is equally powerful in its presentation. Once again, there is a powerful presence here. The Andante is a rather lush and intense affair. The string writing in the third movement, Andante, is very fine indeed. The tone and mood of the movement is very fine and engaging. Woodwind writing is very worthy of note here. The final movement is both energetic and vital in its presentation. Both the music and the music making have a great presence. Every aspect of the wonderful scoring is very well presented here. Once again, due regard must be paid to the wonderful woodwind scoring. This is a particularly vital, very powerful, engaging and engrossing presentation of this work. The conclusion is very powerful!

I have not heard the 1st Symphony but the thought struck me after reading your positive review that the 1st and 2nd Symphonies are a mirror image of the two string quartets. The 2nd is one of the most well known of all quartets and the 1st rarely warrants a mention and yet it is every bit as good.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

aligreto

Quote from: Irons on October 18, 2021, 07:41:12 AM
I have not heard the 1st Symphony but the thought struck me after reading your positive review that the 1st and 2nd Symphonies are a mirror image of the two string quartets. The 2nd is one of the most well known of all quartets and the 1st rarely warrants a mention and yet it is every bit as good.

An interesting parallel. I will revisit the String Quartets with that observation in mind.