BORODINEANA -- Il principe Igor -- prima rappr. italiana: 26 dicembre 1915, Teatro alla Scala, Milano.

Speranza

Alessandro Borodine (n. San Pietroburgo, 12 novembre 1833 – San Pietroburgo, 27 febbraio 1887) è stato un compositore russo.

Borodine era figlio naturale di Luca Gedianov, principe e luogotenente in pensione dell'esercito russo che faceva risalire la sua origine alla casa regnante dei Gedevanišvili del regno georgiano di Imeretia.

La madre di Borodine, Evdokija Antonova, ventiquattrenne, era l'amante del principe--.

Poiché il principe era sposato, fece dichiarare il bambino come figlio del suo servo, Porfirio Borodine.

Tuttavia, poco prima della sua morte, lo riconobbe in qualità di proprio figlio naturale.

Borodine crebbe con sua madre in un piccolo villaggio a pochi chilometri a sud di San Pietroburgo, in un ambiente familiare abbastanza agiato.

Qui ricevette una buona istruzione generale e si rivelò eccezionalmente dotato.

A nove anni d'età Borodine imparò, oltre che diverse lingue (come il italiano, il tedesco, il francese, e l'inglese) a suonare da autodidatta il pianoforte, il flauto e il violoncello.

Nel 1850, poco più che sedicenne, indotto dalla madre, Borodine si iscrisse alla facoltà universitaria di medicina a San Pietroburgo, uscendone laureato con i più alti riconoscimenti nel 1856.

La sua vera passione però era la chimica sperimentale e quindi si trasferì a Pisa per continuare gli studi.

Divenne medico eminente, professore universitario e scienziato di fama europea ed esercitò per tutto l'arco della sua vita la professione di medico, anche se tutto il suo tempo libero - purtroppo molto poco - era dedicato al melodramma.

Nel 1863 Borodine sposò Ekaterina Protopopova.

Borodine e Ekaterina si conobbero in Germania e s'innamorarono in un viaggio insieme a Baden-Baden, dove si fidanzarono.

Ebbero tre figlie.

La vita di Borodine fu piuttosto caotica e concitata.

Borodine doveva sempre lottare contro la mancanza di tempo, correndo dal laboratorio per gli esperimenti chimici al pianoforte per comporre.

Spesso non riusciva a completare i suoi lavori musicali per le date stabilite e doveva ricorrere all'aiuto di qualcuno dei suoi amici compositori.

Di questo periodo è la nascita della sua composizione più importante, il melodramma "Il principe Igor" (1870), ma la sua realizzazione fu molto lunga e laboriosa.

Borodine passò ben diciassette anni a lavorare alla stesura del "Principe Igor", che oltretutto rimase incompiuta e molto frammentaria.

Verso la fine della sua vita, Borodine soffrì più volte per le conseguenze di un'infezione di colera e per complicazioni cardiache.

Il 27 febbraio 1887, Borodine partecipò ad un ballo della sua accademia.

Borodine morì improvvisamente durante la festa a causa di un infarto.

Borodine venne sepolto nel Cimitero Tichvin del Monastero di Aleksandr Nevskij, a San Pietroburgo.

Furono gli amici Alessandro Glazunov e Nicola Rimskij-Korsakov a riordinare e soprattutto a completare di loro mano tutto il materiale dell'opera, e a far sì che nel 1890 "Il principe Igor" andasse in scena.

Nel 1850, Borodine iniziò il suo percorso di studi presso l'Accademia militare di medicina e chirurgia di San Pietroburgo, dove presto scoprì la sua passione per la chimica sperimentale che gli sarebbe durata per tutta la vita.

Nella sua tesi di dottorato, Borodine si occupò delle ricerche sulle proprietà chimiche e tossicologiche delle anidridi fosforiche e arseniche.

Dopo il dottorato, Borodine fu per un anno chirurgo in un ospedale militare, in seguito lasciò la Russia per continuare la sua formazione scientifica in Europa occidentale.

Nel 1862, Borodine ottenne una cattedra all'accademia di San Pietroburgo, dove si dedicò da quel momento in poi ai suoi studi di chimica.

Come chimico compì ricerche sulle reazioni organiche e sui legami chimici.

Sviluppò un importante metodo di laboratorio per la disposizione analitica dell'urea nella medicina.

Per la chimica organica sono fino ad oggi significative le sue ricerche successive all'accademia militare, che nel 1861 portarono alla sintesi dei legami organici di fluoro e fluorobenzile negli annali di chimica della Liebig.

Significative sono anche le sue ricerche nel campo della polimerizzazione e della condensazione degli aldeidi, come anche la sua scoperta fondamentale dell'addizione di aldolo nel 1872.

Ulteriori importanti pietre miliari della sua carriera di ricerca sono la "carbossilizzazione di Borodin" e la "reazione di Borodin-Hunsdiecker".

Borodine è stato da taluni definito il più originale fra i compositori russi del suo periodo.

In effetti egli a livello mondiale divenne famoso non tanto come scienziato, quanto come compositore.

Borodine possedeva il dono di esprimere
sentimenti ed emozioni con una sola frase musicale.

In ogni sua composizione è presente una profondità espressiva unita a una grande linearità melodica.

Nonostante il poco tempo che poté dedicare alla musica, ha lasciato numerose composizioni.

Come riuscisse a trovare tempo per la musica, oltre al suo lavoro all'accademia che gli serviva per vivere, resta un mistero.

Nel 1864 incontrò Milij Alekseevič Balakirev e tramite lui conobbe Cezar' Kjui, Modest Musorgskij e Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakov.

In questo modo divenne l'ultimo membro del "Gruppo dei cinque nazionalista" russo, il cui stile musicale epico e romantico può essere paragonato a quello di Richard Wagner.

Nel 1869 venne rappresentata la prima sinfonia di Borodine, diretta da Balakirev.

Nello stesso anno Borodin iniziò il suo lavoro alla sua opera eroica "Il principe Igor", che include le famose Danze poloviciane.

"Il principe Igor", che spesso viene considerato il suo lavoro più significativo, restò incompiuto fino alla sua morte, a causa all'immenso carico di lavoro di Borodine come ricercatore scientifico.

"Il principe Igor" venne in seguito completato ed orchestrato da Alessandro Glazunov e Nicola Rimskij-Korsakov.

Parimenti incompiuta restò la terza sinfonia, a cui Glazunov contribuì orchestrandola.

La prima esecuzione della sua seconda sinfonia fu inizialmente un fiasco, ma quando Franz Liszt nel 1880 ne organizzò una seconda rappresentazione in Germania, Borodine acquistò una certa fama anche al di fuori della Russia.

Borodine stesso definiva la sua musica "un passatempo, come un riposo dalle sue occupazioni più serie", con cui intendeva ovviamente il suo lavoro come scienziato.

Nel 1953, Robert Wright e George Forrest elaborarono musiche di Borodin (per lo più dall'opera "Il principe Igor") per il musical "Kismet", rappresentato per la prima volta a Broadway nel 1953.

"Kismet" ottenne un tale successo internazionale (ne venne tratto anche un film con Ann Blythe) che nel 1954 fu assegnato a Borodine un Tony Award postumo.

La canzone " Stranger in Paradise", adattata dal tema più celebre contenuto nelle Danze poloviciane dal "Principe Igor" venne portata da Tony Bennett, Four Aces e Bing Crosby al successo internazionale.

Nel 1978, "Kismet" venne riproposto dall'All Black Ensemble con il titolo di "Timbuktu".

La musica di Borodine vi è combinata con brani di musica popolare africana; fra gli interpreti di questo remake, Eartha Kitt e Melba Moore.

La seguente è una lista delle composizioni di Borodin:

MELODRAMMI:

I) La fidanzata dello Zar
1867
Abbozzi, perduta.

II) Il principe Igor
1869-87
Borodine.

Sulla base del "Canto della schiera di Igor"

Opera incompiuta in un prologo e quattro atti,
completata ed orchestrata da Rimskij-Korsakov e Glazunov.

III)

"Mlada", atto IV 1872 Viktor Krylov

Parte di un'opera-ballet collettiva di
Borodine, Kjui, Musorgkij, Rimskij-Korsakov e Ludwig Minkus.

IV)

"Bogatyri"
1878 Viktor Krylov
Opera farsa in cinque scene, basata su musiche di Rossini, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Serov, Verdi, orchestrata da E. Merten.

Opere orchestrali:

Concerto per flauto e pianoforte in re maggiore
1847 Perduto.

Sinfonia n. 1 in mi bemolle maggiore 1862-7 Prima pubblicazione: 1875 (arrangiamento per pianoforte a quattro mani del compositore); 1882 (partitura orchestrale).

Sinfonia n. 2 in si minore 1869-76 Prima pubblicazione: 1878 (arrangiamento per pianoforte a quattro mani del compositore); 1887 (partitura orchestrale leggermente rivista da Rimskij-Korsakov e Glazunov).

Nelle steppe dell'Asia centrale, poema sinfonico 1880 Prima pubblicazione: 1882 (arrangiamento per pianoforte a quattro mani del compositore); 1882 (partitura orchestrale).
Sinfonia n. 3 in la minore 1886-7 Solo i primi due movimenti, completata ed orchestrata da Glazunov.

Musica da camera:
Trio per due violini e violoncello 1847 Su un tema di Roberto il diavolo di Meyerbeer, perduto.
Trio per pianoforte 1850-60 Solo tre movimenti, l'ultimo è perduto.
Quartetto per flauto, oboe, viola e violoncello 1852-6 Basato su musiche di Franz Joseph Haydn.
Trio per archi in sol maggiore per due violini e violoncello 1852-6 ? Completati solo i primi due movimenti.
Trio per archi in sol maggiore per due violini e violoncello 1855 Solo un movimento (Andantino). Basato sulla canzone popolare russa Чем тебя я огорчила (Che ho fatto per addolorarti).
Quintetto per archi in fa minore per due violini, viola e due violoncelli 1859-60 La coda del finale fu completata da O.A. Evlachov (1960).
Sestetto per archi in re minore 1860-1 Solo due movimenti superstiti.
Sonata in si minore per violoncello e pianoforte 1860 Basata sulla fuga della sonata per violino n. 1 in sol minore BWV 1001 di Johann Sebastian Bach.
Trio per violino, violoncello e pianoforte in re maggiore 1860-1
Quintetto per pianoforte in do minore 1862
Quartetto per archi n. 1 in la maggiore 1874-9
Quartetto per archi n. 2 in re maggiore 1881
Scherzo per quartetto d'archi 1882 Dalla raccolta di Mitrofan Beljaev I venerdì. Fu utilizzato da Glazunov per completare la terza sinfonia di Borodin.
Serenata alla spagnola per quartetto d'archi 1886 Dal quartetto collettivo "Si-La-Fa" di Borodin, Rimskij-Korsakov, Glazunov e Ljadov.

Opere per pianoforte:
Hélène-Polka in re minore 1843-61 Scritta nel 1843, quando il compositore aveva solo 9 anni, revisionata e trascritta per pianoforte a quattro mani nel 1861.
Le Courant, studio 1849 Perduto.
Fantasia su un tema di Hummel 1849 Perduta.
Fughe 1851-2 Perdute.
Scherzo in si minore 1852 Perduto.
Allegretto in re bemolle maggiore 1861 Arrangiamento per pianoforte a quattro mani del terzo movimento del quintetto per archi.
Scherzo in mi maggiore 1861 Per pianoforte a quattro mani.
Tarantella in re maggiore 1862 Per pianoforte a quattro mani.
Fuga 1862 Perduta.
Parafrasi su Chopsticks 1874-8 Polka, Marcia funebre, Requiem (con testo) e Mazurka; fa parte di una raccolta di pezzi di Borodin, Kjui, Ljadov e Rimskij-Korsakov. La seconda edizione include pezzi di Franz Liszt e Nikolaj Ščerbačov. Per pianoforte a tre mani.
Petite Suite 1885 1. Al convento 2. Intermezzo 3. Mazurka I 4. Mazurka II 5. Serenade 6. Nocturne 7. Reverie 8. Scherzo. Fu orchestrata da Glazunov (1889).
Scherzo in la bemolle maggiore 1885

Canzoni ("Drawing-room ballads"):
Что ты рано, зоренька (
"Che tu presto, aurora") 1852-5 Sergej Solov'ëv
Разлюбила красна девица (La bella ragazza non mi ama più) 1853-5 A. Vinogradov Per voce, violoncello e pianoforte.
Слушайте, подруженьки, песенку мою (Ascoltate, amiche, la mia canzone) 1853-55 Iven Kruse Per voce, violoncello e pianoforte.
Красавица рыбачка! (Bella pescatrice!) 1854-55 Heinrich Heine Per voce, violoncello e pianoforte. Titolo originale tedesco: Du schönes Fischermädchen.
Спящая княжна (La principessa addormentata) 1867 Borodin Fu anche orchestrata da Rimskij-Korsakov.
Отравой полны мои песни (I miei canti son pieni di veleno) 1868 Heinrich Heine Titolo originale tedesco: Vergiftet sind meine Lieder.
Морская царевна (La principessa del mare) 1868 Borodin
Песня темного леса (Старая песня) (La canzone del bosco oscuro (Vecchia canzone)) 1868 Borodin Fu anche arrangiata da Glazunov per due parti di coro maschile e orchestra (1873).
Фальшивая нота (La nota falsa) 1868 Borodin
Mope (Il mare) 1870 Borodin Fu orchestrata dal compositore (1884) e da Rimskij-Korsakov (1896).
Из слез моих (Dalle mie lacrime) 1870 Heinrich Heine Titolo originale tedesco: Aus meinen Tränen.
Для берегов отчизны дальной (Per le rive della patria lontana) 1881 Aleksandr Puškin Pubblicata nel 1888, fu anche orchestrata da Glazunov (1912).
У людей-то в дому (A casa di alcuni) 1881 Nikolaj Nekrasov
Арабская мелодия (Melodia araba) 1881 Borodin
Спесь (Boria) 1884-5 Aleksej Tolstoj
Чудный сад (Il giardino magico) 1885 Georges Collin Titolo originale francese: Septain.

Altre opere vocali:
Serenata di quattro cavalieri per una donna, quartetto comico per voci maschili e pianoforte 1870
Dio salvi Cirillo! Dio salvi Metodio!, per coro maschile solo 1885 Incompiuto, completato da Pavel Lamm.

Aleksandr Porfir'evič Borodin in «Open Directory Project», Netscape Communications. (
Famoso "Nelle steppe dell'Asia centrale", Alexander Borodin nel Film "Mosca rivestito nella neve", 00:07:22, 1908 su YouTube
Spartiti liberi di Aleksandr Porfir'evič Borodin su International Music Score Library Project
La musica classica nel XIX secolo

Otto Scholderer Der Geiger am Fenster.jpgTurner, J. M. W. - The Fighting Téméraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken.jpg

Categorie: Compositori russi Nati nel 1833 Morti nel 1887 Nati il 12 novembre Morti il 27 febbraio
Nati a San Pietroburgo Morti a San Pietroburgo Compositori romantici Scienziati russi Studenti dell'università di Heidelberg Il principe Igor'
Ivan Bilibin 181.jpg Il principe Igor' di Ivan Bilibin

Titolo originale: IL PRINCIPE IGOR
Musica: Alessandro Borodine
Libretto: Alessandro Borodine
Fonti letterarie: Canto della schiera di Igor'
un prologo e quattro atti
Epoca di composizione: 1869-1887
Prima rappr.: 23 ottobre (4 novembre) 1890
Teatro Mariinskij, San Pietroburgo
Prima rappr. italiana: 26 dicembre 1915, Teatro alla Scala, Milano

Personaggi

Igor Svjatoslavič
principe di Novgorod-Severskij
... baritono

Jaroslavna,
sua seconda moglie
... soprano

Vladimir Igorevič
figlio di primo letto di Igor
... tenore)

Vladimir Jaroslavič,
principe di Halyč, fratello della principessa Jaroslavna
... basso-baritono

Končak, khan poloviciano
... basso

Gzak, khan poloviciano
... basso

Končakovna,
figlia del khan Končak
... contralto
Ovlur, un poloviciano cristiano (tenore)
Skula, un suonatore di gudok (basso)
Eroška, un suonatore di gudok (tenore)
La nutrice di Jaroslavna (soprano)
Una ragazza poloviciana (soprano)

Coro:
principi e principesse russe,
boiardi e boiarde,
anziani,
guerrieri russi,
fanciulle,
popolo. khan poloviciani,
amiche di Končakovna, schiave (čagi) del khan Končak,
prigionieri russi, guardie poloviciane


"Il principe Igor" è un'opera di Alessandro Borodine.

Borodine scrisse anche il libretto basandosi sul poema epico slavo

"Canto della schiera di Igor'"

che narra la fallita campagna del principe

Igor Svjatoslavič di Novgorod-Severskij

nell'antica Rus' di Kiev contro gli invasori Cumani/Poloviciani

nel 1185.

"Il principe Igor", articolata in un prologo e quattro atti, era incompiuta alla morte del compositore, nel 1887, e venne rivista e completata da Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakov e Alessandro Glazunov.

Dopo aver brevemente considerato il dramma di Lev Mej "La fidanzata dello Zar" (successivamente ripreso da Rimskij-Korsakov per la sua opera omonima) come soggetto per la sua prima opera, Borodine iniziò a cercarne un altro.

Vladimir Stasov, critico e mentore del "Gruppo dei Cinque", gli suggerì il "Canto della schiera di Igor", un poema epico in prosa del XII secolo, e gli inviò una sceneggiatura per un'opera in tre atti il 30 aprile 1869.

Borodine trovò la proposta incoraggiante, anche se non priva di difficoltà, e, dopo aver raccolto altro materiale letteriario, iniziò a comporre nel settembre dello stesso anno.

Presto però iniziò ad avere dubbi e timori e interruppe la composizione.

Nel corso dei successivi quattro anni non continuò il lavoro, ma utilizzò parte della musica creata per altre sue composizioni, quali la sua seconda sinfonia e l'opera-ballet collettiva Mlada (1872).

Il progetto di Mlada però presto fu abbandonato e Borodine pensò a come riutilizzare la musica che aveva prodotto, e nel 1874 tornò a dedicarsi al "Principe Igor", incoraggiato anche dal successo che avevano avuto Rimskij-Korsakov e Musorgskij nel mettere in scena le loro opere a sfondo storico "La fanciulla di Pskov" e "Boris Godunov".

Tuttavia l'occupazione principale di Borodine era la chimica, che comprendeva la ricerca e l'insegnamento.

Pertanto, per la costernazione dei suoi amici, non dedicava alla musica tutto il tempo che il suo talento avrebbe giustificato.

Nel 1876 Stasov, avendo perso ogni speranza che Borodine finisse "Il principe Igor", propose la sua sceneggiatura a Rimskij-Korsakov.

Egli però decise di aiutare Borodine ad orchestrarne alcune parti importanti, come le famose Danze poloviciane, che, stando a quanto riferisce lo stesso Rimskij-Korsakov nella sua autobiografia La mia vita musicale, furono orchestrate da lui, Borodin e Anatolij Ljadov, lavorando febbrilmente una sera fino a tarda notte.

Borodine complessivamente lavorò alla sua opera, in maniera discontinua, per quasi 18 anni.

Dopo che Borodine morì nel 1887, lasciando "Il Principe Igor" incompiuto, Rimskij-Korsakov e Stasov ne raccolsero tutti gli spartiti e li portarono a casa di Rimskij-Korsakov.

Successivamente Rimskij-Korsakov ed il suo allievo Alessandro Glazunov si spartirono il lavoro per portare a termine l'opera: terminare le parti non finite, dare all'opera una forma compiuta e terminare l'orchestrazione.

La prima rappresentazione del "Principe Igor" ebbe luogo al teatro Mariinskij di San Pietroburgo il 23 ottobre (4 novembre) 1890.

Nonostante i loro sforzi, però, "Il principe Igor" rimase episodica e statica, a causa della mancanza di unità dovuta allo stato di incompiutezza in cui l'aveva lasciata Borodine.

Un'altra causa di ciò è data dal fatto che il compositore non completò il libretto prima di intraprendere la composizione, ma lo scrisse man mano assieme alla musica, perdendo così di vista il filo narrativo d'insieme dell'opera.

Infatti sono presenti singoli episodi qualitativamente molto alti, con musiche molto belle, ma manca una struttura che li integri fra di loro in una narrazione fluente.

Inoltre alcuni brani scritti da Borodine non trovarono posto nella versione finale dell'opera, ma dovettero essere sacrificati per dare al lavoro un aspetto per quanto possibile coeso.

*******************************************

L'azione del "Principe Igor" ha luogo nel 1185 nella città di Putivl' (prologo, atti I e IV) e nell'accampamento dei Cumani/Poloviciani (atti II e III).

Nel prologo, nella piazza della cattedrale di Putivl', IL PRINCIPE IGOR sta organizzando una campagna contro i Poloviciani, che hanno attaccato le terre russe.

Il popolo intona canti di lode, quando un'eclissi di sole provoca la costernazione generale.

Due soldati, Skula e Eroška disertano, convinti che il principe Vladimir Jaroslavič offrirà loro un'occupazione più gradita.

Sebbene Jaroslavna, moglie del principe Igor, considera l'eclisse un cattivo presagio, egli insiste nell'andare in guerra: il senso dell'onore glielo impone. Igor' affida la moglie al fratello di lei, Vladimir Jaroslavič, principe di Halyč, che lo ringrazia per averlo accolto dopo essere stato dalla sua terra dal padre e dai fratelli. Il popolo intona un canto glorificatore e l'esercito si mette in marcia contro i Poloviciani.

Nell'atto I, alla Scena prima, nella ca corte di Vladimir a Putivl', i  seguaci del principe di Halyč cantano in suo onore. Skula ed Eroška ora suonano il gudok, mentre i seguaci del principe intonano un canto in cui lui ed i suoi uomini hanno rapito una ragazza che li supplica di lasciarla tornare dal padre senza essere disonorata. Arriva Vladimir di Halyč che canta come, se fosse principe di Putivl' passerebbe le sue giornate a bere, fare festa e divertirsi con le ragazze più belle, mentre la sorella sarebbe relegata in un monastero. Un gruppo di giovani donne lo prega di rilasciare una loro amica rapita, ma egli le scaccia. Gli uomini di Vladimir si chiedono cosa accadrebbe se Jaroslavna venisse a sapere ciò che stanno facendo, ma si convincono che con tutti gli uomini in guerra sarebbe inerme, e quindi decidono di andare sulla piazza della città per proclamare Vladimir principe di Putivl', lasciando indietro i due musicisti ubriachi.

Nella Scena seconda, alla stanza nel palazzo di Jaroslavna, la principessa è in pena per l'assenza del marito, quando arrivano le giovani donne che le raccontano della loro amica rapita da Vladimir. Quest'ultimo entra e le giovani fuggono. Ne nasce un litigio tra Jaroslavna e Vladimir, con minacce e accuse, poi Vladimir esce. Arriva il consiglio dei boiardi che informa la principessa che i Poloviciani al comando di Gzak stanno per attaccare la città: l'esercito di Igor' è stato sconfitto ed egli è stato ferito e catturato assieme a suo figlio ed a suo fratello. Non è possibile mandare messaggeri alle città vicine perché le strade sono state interrotte dal nemico. I boiardi dichiarano che organizzeranno la difesa della città, quando Vladimir torna con i suoi che lo vorrebbero nuovo principe di Putivl', ma i boiardi non sono d'accordo. La disputa è interrotta dalla battaglia imminente.

Nell'Atto II, la sera nell'accampamento dei Poloviciani, le fanciulle Poloviciane cantano e danzano (danza delle fanciulle poloviciane). Si unisce a loro Končakovna. I prigionieri russi fanno ritorno dalla giornata di lavoro e ringraziano le donne che danno loro da mangiare. Le guardie si ritirano, lasciando solo Ovlur, un cristiano, alla sorveglianza. Vladimir, figlio di Igor' canta sperando che il suo amore, Končakovna, lo raggiunga presto. La ragazza arriva e i due intonano in un duetto il loro amore. Al sopraggiungere di Igor' se ne vanno. Egli canta il suo dolore per le sue disgrazie. Ovlur gli propone la fuga, ma giunge Končak che chiede a Igor' come stia. Končak gli promette la libertà in cambio della rinuncia alla guerra, ma Igor' non può accettare. Končak fa entrare i servi per intrattenere Igor' e lui stesso: essi cantano e ballano in onore di Končak (danze poloviciane).

Nell'Atto III, nell'accampamento dei Poloviciani, l'esercito poloviciano ritorna in trionfo cantando il sacco di Putivl'. Končak afferma che presto sottometterà tutta la Russia. Vladimir esorta Igor' alla fuga, egli è riluttante, ma quando Ovlur arriva dicendo di aver preparato i cavalli per Igor' e Vladimir, il principe accetta. Entra Končakovna che chiede a Vladimir di dimostrargli il suo amore portandola con lui o rimanendo. Il giovane non riesce a lasciare l'amata e Igor' fugge da solo. Končakovna dà l'allarme e suo padre fa uccidere le guardie e dà in sposa la figlia a Vladimir.

Nell'Atto IV, all'alba a Putivl', Jaroslavna piange la lontananza da Igor' e la sua sconfitta e, mentre contempla la distruzione operata dal nemico, scorge due figure a cavallo che avanzano: sono Igor' ed Ovlur. Marito e moglie cantano la gioia della loro riunione. Skula ed Eroška stanno cantando facendosi beffe di Igor', quando lo vedono in lontananza. Dopo un momento di panico decidono di giocare d'astuzia per salvarsi: suonano le campane di una chiesa per radunare una folla ed annunciare il ritorno di Igor'. All'inizio vengono trattati con sospetto, ma poi il popolo ed i boiardi celebrano con gioia il ritorno del principe Igor'.


La suddivisione è presentata in accordo all'edizione tradizionale a cura di Rimskij-Korsakov e Glazunov.

Le date si riferiscono alla composizione, non all'orchestrazione.

Ouverture
1887 1887
Glazunov Glazunov

1 – Prologo 1876 1885 Borodin Borodin / Rimskij-Korsakov

*************** ATTO I *********************

2a Atto I, Scena prima Coro 1875 1875 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
2b Atto I, Scena prima Recitativo e Canzone: Vladimir di Halyč 1879 1879 Borodin Borodin
2c Atto I, Scena prima Recitativo: Vladimir di Halyč ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
2d Atto I, Scena prima Coro delle fanciulle e scena ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
2e Atto I, Scena prima Scena: Skula, Eroška ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
2f Atto I, Scena prima Canzone in onore di Vladimir di Halyč: Skula, Eroška 1878 1878 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
2g Atto I, Scena prima Coro ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
3 Atto I, Scena seconda Arioso: Jaroslavna 1869 1875 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
4 Atto I, Scena seconda Scena: Jaroslavna, Nutrice, Coro 1879 1879 Borodin Borodin
5 Atto I, Scena seconda Scena: Jaroslavna, Vladimir di Halyč 1879 1879 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
6 Atto I, Scena seconda Finale: Jaroslavna, Vladimir di Halyč, Coro 1879 1880 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov

*************** ATTO II


7 Atto II Coro delle fanciulle poloviciane ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
8 Atto II Danza delle fanciulle poloviciane ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
9 Atto II Cavatina: Končakovna 1869 1869 Borodin Borodin
10 Atto II Scena: Končakovna, Coro 1887 1887 Rimskij-Korsakov / Glazunov Rimskij-Korsakov / Glazunov
11 Atto II Recitativo e Cavatina: Vladimir 1877 1878 Borodin Borodin
12 Atto II Duetto: Vladimir, Končakovna 1877 1878 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
13 Atto II Aria: Igor' 1881 1881 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
14 Atto II Scena: Igor', Ovlur ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
15 Atto II Aria: Končak 1874 1875 Borodin Borodin
16 Atto II Recitativo: Igor', Končak ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
17 Atto II Danze Poloviciane con Coro 1869 1875 Borodin Borodin / Rimskij-Korsakov / Ljadov

*************** ATTO III


18 Atto III Marcia dei Poloviciani 1869 1875 Borodin Borodin / Rimskij-Korsakov
19 Atto III Canzone: Končak ? ? Glazunov Glazunov
20 Atto III Recitativo and Scena ? ? Borodin Glazunov
22 Atto III Recitativo: Ovlur, Igor' 1888 1888 Glazunov Glazunov
23 Atto III Trio: Igor', Vladimir, Končakovna ? 1888 Borodin / Glazunov Glazunov
24 Atto III Finale: Končakovna, Končak, Coro 1884 ? Borodin / Glazunov Glazunov

***************** ATTO IV

25 Atto IV Lamento: Jaroslavna 1875 1875 Borodin Borodin
26 Atto IV Coro del popolo 1879 1879 Borodin Borodin
27 Atto IV Recitativo and Duetto: Jaroslavna, Igor' 1876 1876 Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
28 Atto IV Canzone: i suonatori di gudok, Scena e Coro ? ? Borodin Rimskij-Korsakov
29 Atto IV Finale: Skula, Eroška, Coro ? ? Borodin Borodin / Rimskij-Korsakov


Note:

Abraham e Lloyd-Jones (1986: pag. 51), Abraham e Lloyd-Jones (1986: pag. 51), Rimskij-Korsakov, My musical life, pag. 211. Non è chiaro in che ordine Borodie intendesse fissare i primi due atti. Viene qui presentata la suddivisione tradizionale dell'edizione di Rimskij-Korsakov e Glazunov. In molti allestimenti il terzo atto viene omesso.

Bibliografia:

N. A. Rimskij-Korsakov, Летопись моей музыкальной жизни (San Pietroburgo, 1909), pubblicato in inglese come
My musical life (New York: Knopf, 1925, terza ed. 1942).

G. Abraham, e D. Lloyd-Jones,
Alexander Borodin in D. Brown, (a cura di) The New Grove: Russian Masters 1, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1986.

Il principe Igor': spartiti liberi su International Music Score Library Project
Il libretto dell'opera in russo

Categorie: Composizioni di Aleksandr Porfir'evič Borodin
Opere liriche in lingua russa
Opere liriche incompiute

Alexander Borodin
Born: 12 November 1833
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died: 27 February 1887 (age 53)
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Occupation: Composer and chemist

 Borodine  (12 November 1833 – 27 February 1887)[2] was a Russian Romantic composer, doctor and chemist.

He was a member of the group of composers called The Five (or "The Mighty Handful"), who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music.

He is best known for his symphonies, his two string quartets, In the Steppes of Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor.

 Music from Prince Igor and his string quartets was later adapted for the US musical "Kismet".

Borodine was a notable advocate of women's rights and a proponent of education in Russia and was a founder of the School of Medicine for Women in St. Petersburg.

Borodine was born in Saint Petersburg, the illegitimate son of Luca Gedevanishvili, a Georgian prince, and a 24-year-old Russian woman, Evdokia Konstantinovna Antonova.

Since Prince Luca was married, with children, he had his son registered as the son of one of his serfs, Porfirio Borodine.

As a boy, Borodine received a good education, including piano lessons.

In 1850 Borodine entered the Medical–Surgical Academy in St Petersburg, which was later home to Ivan Pavlov, and pursued a career in chemistry.

On graduation he spent a year as surgeon in a military hospital, followed by three years of advanced scientific study in western Europe, including Pisa.

In 1862 Borodin returned to St Petersburg to take up a professorial chair in chemistry at the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy and spent the remainder of his scientific career in research, lecturing and overseeing the education of others.

Eventually, he managed to establish medical courses for women (1872).

He began taking lessons in composition from Mily Balakirev in 1862.

He married Ekaterina Protopopova in 1863, and had one daughter, named Gania.

Music remained a secondary vocation for Borodin outside his main career as a chemist and physician.

Borodine suffered poor health, having overcome cholera and several minor heart attacks.

Borodin died suddenly during a ball, and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in Saint Petersburg.

In his profession Borodin gained great respect, being particularly noted for his work on aldehydes.[10]

Between 1859 and 1862 Borodin held a postdoctorate in Heidelberg.

He worked in the laboratory of Emil Erlenmeyer working on benzene derivatives.

He also spent time in Pisa, working on organic halogens.

One experiment published in 1862 described the first nucleophilic displacement of chlorine by fluorine in benzoyl chloride.[11]

A related reaction known to the West as the Hunsdiecker reaction published in 1939 by the Hunsdieckers was promoted by the Soviet Union as "The Borodin reaction".

In 1862 he returned to the Medical–Surgical Academy, taking up a chair in chemistry, where he worked on self-condensation of small aldehydes.

He published papers in 1864 and 1869, and in this field he found himself competing with August Kekulé.

Borodin is co-credited with the discovery of the Aldol reaction, with Charles-Adolphe Wurtz.

In 1872 he announced to the Russian Chemical Society the discovery of a new by-product in aldehyde reactions with alcohol-like properties, and he noted similarities with compounds already discussed in publications by Wurtz from the same year.

He published his last full article in 1875 on reactions of amides and his last publication concerned a method for the identification of urea in animal urine.

His successor in the chemistry chair at Medical-Surgical academy was his son-in-law and fellow chemist, A. P. Dianin.


Borodin met Mily Balakirev in 1862.

While under Balakirev's tutelage in composition he began his Symphony No. 1 in E flat major.

The Symphony No. 1 was first performed in 1869, with Balakirev conducting.

In that same year Borodin started on his Symphony No. 2 (in B minor) which was not particularly successful at its premiere in 1877 under Eduard Nápravník.

But with some minor re-orchestration received a successful performance in 1879 by the Free Music School under Rimsky-Korsakov's direction.

In 1880, Borodine composed the popular symphonic poem "In the Steppes of Central Asia".

Two years later he began composing a third symphony, but left it unfinished at his death.

Two movements of it were later completed and orchestrated by Glazunov.

In 1868, Borodine became distracted from initial work on the second symphony by preoccupation with the opera "IL PRINCIPE IGORE: melodramma eroico in cinque atti", which is seen by some to be his most significant work and one of the most important historical Russian operas.

It contains "The Polovtsian Dances", often performed as a stand-alone concert work forming what is probably Borodin's best known composition.

Borodin left "IL PRINCIPE IGOR: melodramma eroico in cinque atti" (and a few other works) incomplete at his death.

Prince Igor was completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov.

It is set in the 12th century, when the Polovtsians invaded southern Russia.

"IL PRINCIPE IGOR" tells of the capture of Prince Igor and his son, Vladimir, of Russia by the Polovtsian leader Khan Konchak.

Konchak entertains his prisoners lavishly.

Konchak calls on his slaves to perform the famous Polovtsian dances, which provide a thrilling climax to Act II.

No other member of the Balakirev circle identified himself so openly with absolute music as did Borodin in his two string quartets, and in his many earlier chamber compositions.

Himself a cellist, he was an enthusiastic chamber music player, an interest that deepened during his chemical studies in Heidelberg between 1859 and 1861. This early period yielded, among other chamber works, a string sextet and a piano quintet. In thematic structure and instrumental texture he based his pieces on those of Felix Mendelssohn.[12]

In 1875 Borodin started his First String Quartet, much to the displeasure of Mussorgsky and Vladimir Stasov. That Borodin did so in the company of The Five, who were hostile to chamber music, speaks to his independence. From the First Quartet on, he displayed mastery in the form. His Second Quartet, in which his strong lyricism is represented in the popular "Nocturne", followed in 1881. The First Quartet is richer in changes of mood. The Second Quartet has a more uniform atmosphere and expression.[12]

Next to the bust of Borodin at his tomb in Tikhvin Cemetery, the visible musical notation on the tile monument in the background shows themes from (1) "Gliding Dance of the Maidens" from Polovtsian Dances; (2) "Song of the Dark Forest"; and (3) the "Scherzo" theme from Symphony No. 3.

Borodin's fame outside the Russian Empire was made possible during his lifetime by Franz Liszt, who arranged a performance of the Symphony No. 1 in Germany in 1880, and by the Contessa de Mercy-Argenteau in Belgium and France.

Borodine's music is noted for its strong lyricism and rich harmonies.

Along with some influences from Western composers, as a member of "The Five", his music exudes also an undeniably Russian flavour.

Borodine's passionate music and unusual harmonies proved to have a lasting influence on the  French composers Debussy and Ravel (in homage, the latter composed in 1913 a piano piece entitled "À la manière de Borodine").

The evocative characteristics of Borodine's music made possible the adaptation of his compositions in the 1953 musical Kismet, by Robert Wright and George Forrest, notably in the songs Stranger in Paradise and And This Is My Beloved.

In 1954, Borodin was posthumously awarded a Tony Award for this show.

Borodin's music is full of romantic charm and enticing melody, and much of it also rings with the pageantry and landscape of old Russia, of onion-domed churches, richly decorated icons, and the vastness of the land.


The Borodin Quartet was named in his honour.

The chemist Alexander Shulgin uses the name "Alexander Borodin" as a fictional persona in the books PiHKAL and TiHKAL.

In his book Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974) Charles Bukowski wrote a poem about the life of Borodine entitled "the life of Borodine".

References:

Алекса́ндр Порфи́рьевич Бороди́н, tr. Aleksandr Porfir'evič Borodin.
Old Style dates 31 October 1833 – 15 February 1887.
Abraham, Gerald. Borodin: the Composer and his Music. London, 1927
 Dianin, Sergei Aleksandrovich. Borodin. London, New York, Oxford University Press, 1963
Oldani, Robert, William. "Borodin, Aleksandr Porfir′yevich," Grove Music Online
 8Notes website
^ By his teens Borodin could speak Italian, German, French, and English, and could play the piano, flute and cello.
D. E. Lewis, Early Russian Organic Chemists and Their Legacy
Habets, Alfred (2005). Borodin and Liszt: I. Life and works of a Russian Composer. II. Liszt, as sketched in the letters of Borodin. Adamant Media Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4212-5305-3.
  Michael D. Gordin (1996). "Facing the Music: How Original Was Borodin's Chemistry?" (PDF). Journal of Chemical Education 83 (4): 561–566. doi:10.1021/ed083p561.
 E. J. Behrman (2006). "Borodin?" (PDF). Journal of Chemical Education 83 (8): 1138. doi:10.1021/ed083p1138.1.
 Maes, 72

Further reading:

Maes, Francis, tr. Pomerans, Arnold J. and Erica Pomerans,
A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002). ISBN 0-520-21815-9.


George Sarton (1939). "Borodin (1833–87)". Osiris 7: 224–260. doi:10.1086/368505. JSTOR 301543.

A. J. B. Hutchings (1936). "A Study of Borodin: I. The Man". The Musical Times 77 (1124): 881–883. doi:10.2307/920565. JSTOR 920565.

George B. Kauffman, Kathryn Bumpass (1988). "An Apparent Conflict between Art and Science: The Case of Borodine (1833–1887)". Leonardo 21 (4): 429–436. doi:10.2307/1578707. JSTOR 1578707.

J. Podlech (2010). ""Try and Fall Sick …"—The Composer, Chemist, and Surgeon Aleksandr Borodin". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49 (37): 6490–95. doi:10.1002/anie.201002023. PMID 20715236.


Free scores by Borodin at the International Music Score Library Project
Free scores by Alexander Borodin in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
"In the Steppes of Central Asia", Alexander Borodin in Film "Moscow clad in snow", 00:07:22, 1908 on YouTube
List of compositions (German)
Borodin's tomb
The Mighty Five
Categories: 1833 births 1887 deaths 19th-century classical composers Composers for piano Imperial Russian chemists Imperial Russian composers Opera composers People from Saint Petersburg
Romantic composers Russian people of Georgian descent The Five Deaths from myocardial infarction

This list of Borodine's compositions is sorted by genre.

Operas:
I) The Tsar's Bride 1867 1868 sketches, lost
II) Bogatyri 1878 Viktor Krylov Opera farce in 5 Scenes, based on music by Rossini, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Serov, Verdi, etc, orchestrated by E. Merten
III) Prince Igor 1869 1887 Borodin, after "The Lay of Prince Igor" Unfinished opera with a prologue and 4 acts. Orch. Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov 1887/88. First performance, St.Petersburg 1890
IV) Mlada, Act IV 1872 1872 Viktor Krylov Part of unfinished collaborative ballet-opera by Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Leon Minkus. Finale orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov as a concert piece (1892)


Orchestral works[edit]
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat 1862 1867 First published 1875 (arr. piano 4 hands by the composer); 1882 (full score)
Symphony No. 2 in B minor 1869 1876 first pub. 1878 ( arr. piano 4 hands by the composer); Borodin's orchestration slightly revised by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov for publication of 1887 full score.[1]
In the Steppes of Central Asia 1880 1880 first pub. 1882 (arr. piano 4 hands by the composer); 1882 (full score)
Symphony No. 3 in A minor 1886 1887 first two movements only, completed and orchestrated by Glazunov.


Chamber music[edit]
Piano Trio 1850 1860 3 movements only, last movement is lost
Quartet for flute, oboe, viola, and cello 1852 1856 based on music by Joseph Haydn
String Trio in G major for 2 violins and cello 1852 ? 1856 ? only first 2 movements completed
String Trio in G minor for 2 violins and cello 1855 1855 One movement (Andantino) only. Based on the Russian folk-song "Чем тебя я огорчила" (Chem tebya ya ogorchila) "What did I do to upset you"
String Quintet in F minor for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos 1859 1860 coda of finale completed by O.A. Yevlachov (1960)
String Sextet in D minor 1860 1861 only two movements survive
Sonata in B minor for cello and piano 1860 1860 Based on the Fugue from J.S. Bach's Violin Sonata no. 1 in G-minor BWV 1001
Piano Trio in D major 1860 1861 for violin, cello and piano
Piano Quintet in C minor 1862 1862 for string quartet and piano
String Quartet No. 1 in A 1874 1879
String Quartet No. 2 in D 1881 1881
Scherzo for String Quartet 1882 1882 from Mitrofan Belyayev's collection "Fridays". Also used by Glazunov in his completion of Borodin's 3rd Symphony
Serenata alla spagnola for String Quartet 1886 1886 From the collective quartet "B-La-F" with Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov and Lyadov


Works for piano[edit]
Petite Suite 2 1885 1885 1. At the Convent 2. Intermezzo 3. Mazurka I 4. Mazurka II 5. Serenade 6. Nocturne 7. Reverie 8. Scherzo. Also orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov (1889)
Scherzo in A-flat 2 1885
Paraphrases on Chopsticks 3 1874 1878 Polka, Funeral March, Requiem (with words) & Mazurka; in a collection of pieces by Borodin, Cesar Cui, Anatoly Liadov & Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. 2nd edition includes pieces by Franz Liszt and Nikolai Shcherbachov
Hélène-Polka in D minor 4 1843 1861 written in 1843 when the composer was just 9 years old, revised and transcribed for 4 hands by the composer in 1861.[2]
Allegretto D-flat 4 1861 Arrangement of the 3rd movement of the String Quintet
Scherzo E major 4 1861
Tarantella D major 4 1862


Solo songs[edit]
Why did you grow pale early Что ты рано, зоренька Shto ty rano, zaren'ka Sergey Solovyov 1852 1855
The beautiful girl does not love me Разлюбила красна девица Razlyubila krasna devitsa A. Vinogradov 1853 1855 for voice, cello & piano
Listen to my song, my friends Слушайте, подруженьки, песенку мою Slushaite, podruzhen'ki, pesenku moyu Iven Kruse 1853 1855 for voice, cello & piano
Thou lovely fisher-girl Красавица рыбачка! Krasavitsa rybachka Heinrich Heine 1854 1855 for voice, cello & piano. Ger. original: "Du schönes Fischermädchen"
The Sleeping Princess Спящая княжна Spyashchaya knyazhna Borodin 1867 1867 also orch. Rimsky-Korsakov
My songs are full of poison Отравой полны мои песни Otravoy polny moyi pyesni Heine 1868 1868 Ger. original "Vergiftet sind meine Lieder"
The Sea Princess Морская царевна Morskaya Tsar'yevna Borodin 1868 1868
Song of the Dark Woods (Old song) Песня темного леса (Старая песня) Pesnya tyomnovo lesa Borodin 1868 1868 also arr. Glazunov for two-part male chorus and orch. (1873)
The False Note Фальшивая нота Fal'shivaya nota Borodin 1868 1868
The Sea Mope Mor'ye Borodin 1870 1870 orch. by the composer (1884) and also by Rimsky-Korsakov (1896)
From my tears Из слез моих Iz slyoz moyikh Heine 1870 1870 Ger. original: "Aus meinen Tränen"
For the shores of your far homeland Для берегов отчизны дальной Dlya beregov otchizny dal'noy Pushkin 1881 1881 Published 1888. Also orchestrated by Glazunov (1912)
To the people at home У людей-то в дому U lyudey-to v domu Nekrasov 1881 1881
Arabian melody Арабская мелодия Arabskaya Melodiya Borodin 1881 1881
Pride Спесь Spjes' A. K. Tolstoy 1884 1885
The Magic Garden Чудный сад Chudnyy sad Georges Collin 1885 1885 Fr. original "Septain"


Other vocal works[edit]
Serenade of Four Knights for One Lady comic quartet for male voices and piano 1870
God save Kyril! God save Methodius! for unaccompanied men's chorus 1885 unfinished, completed by Pavel Lamm

Transcriptions for piano 4 hands[edit]
Allegretto in D-flat 1861 arrangement of the 3rd movement of the String Quintet
Symphony no. 1 1875
Symphony no. 2 1878
From the Steppes of Central Asia 1882
String Quartet no. 1 1887

Lost works[edit]
Concerto in D for flute and piano 1847
String Trio for 2 violins and cello 1847 on a theme from Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable
Le Courant - etude for piano 1849
Fantasy on a theme by Hummel 1849
Fugues - for piano 1851/52
Scherzo in B minor for piano 1852
Fugue for piano 1862

References:
"Symphony No.2 (Borodin, Aleksandr)". IMSLP. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
 "Borodin; Helene Polka, arranged for orchestra by Mark Starr". Noteworth Musical Editions. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
At Classical Net
List of works at Karadar (in German)
Vijvers, Willem (2007) "Alexander Borodin" pp 285-286 (Doctorate thesis, in Dutch)
Oldani, Robert William. "Borodin, Aleksandr Porfir′yevich. Works." Music Online (subscription required; viewed 2008-05-23)
The texts of Borodin's 16 songs can be found at The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive
Free scores of works by Borodin at IMSLP
Compositions
Symphony No. 2 (1869–1876) ·
In the Steppes of Central Asia (1880) ·
String Quartet No. 2 (1881) ·
Scherzo in A-flat major (1885) ·
Polovtsian Dances ·
Petite Suite
Operas
Prince Igor (1869–1887) ·
Mlada (1872)
Categories: Lists of compositions by composer
Compositions by Alexander Borodin








Alexander Borodin
Prince Igor (Russian: Князь Игорь, Knyaz' Igor') is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Cuman/Polovtsian tribes in 1185. He also incorporated material drawn from two medieval Kievan chronicles. The opera was left unfinished upon the composer's death in 1887 and was edited and completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890.






Composition history[edit]








Vladimir Stasov
(1824–1906)








Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
(1844–1908)








Anatoly Lyadov
(1855–1914)








Alexander Glazunov
(1865–1936)



Original Composition: 1869–1887

After briefly considering Lev Mei's The Tsar's Bride as a subject (later taken up in 1898 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, his 9th opera), Borodin began looking for a new project for his first opera. Vladimir Stasov, critic and advisor to The Mighty Handful, suggested The Lay of Igor's Host, a 12th-century epic prose poem, and sent Borodin a scenario for a three-act opera on 30 April 1869.[1] Initially, Borodin found the proposition intriguing, but daunting:


Your outline is so complete that everything seems clear to me and suits me perfectly. But will I manage to carry out my own task to the end? Bah! As they say here, 'He who is afraid of the wolf doesn't go into the woods!' So I shall give it a try...[2]

—Alexander Borodin, reply to Stasov's proposal

After collecting material from literary sources, Borodin began composition in September 1869 with initial versions of Yaroslavna's arioso and Konchakovna's cavatina, and sketched the Polovtsian Dances and March of the Polovtsy. He soon began to have doubts and ceased composing. He expressed his misgivings in a letter to his wife: "There is too little drama here, and no movement... To me, opera without drama, in the strict sense, is unnatural."[3] This began a period of about four years in which he proceeded no further on Prince Igor, but began diverting materials for the opera into his other works, the Symphony No 2 in B minor (1869–76) and the collaborative opera-ballet Mlada (1872).[1]

The Mlada project was soon aborted, and Borodin, like the other members of The Mighty Handful who were involved—César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov—thought about ways to recycle the music he contributed. Of the eight numbers he had composed for Act 4 of Mlada, those that eventually found their way into (or back into) Prince Igor included No. 1 (Prologue: The opening C major chorus), No. 2 (material for Yaroslavna's arioso and Igor's aria), No. 3 (Prologue: The eclipse), No. 4 (Act 3: The trio), and No. 8 (Act 4: The closing chorus).[4]

Borodin returned to Prince Igor in 1874, inspired by the success of his colleagues Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky in the staging of their historical operas, The Maid of Pskov (1873) and Boris Godunov (1874). This period also marks the creation of two new characters, the deserters Skula and Yeroshka, who have much in common with the rogue monks Varlaam and Misail in Boris Godunov.

In his memoirs, Rimsky-Korsakov mentions an 1876 concert at which Borodin's "closing chorus" was performed, the first public performance of any music from Prince Igor identified by him:


...Borodin's closing chorus ["Glory to the beautiful Sun"]..., which, in the epilogue of the opera (subsequently done away with) extolled Igor's exploits, was shifted by the author himself to the prologue of the opera, of which it now forms a part. At present this chorus extolls Igor as he starts on his expedition against the Cumans/Polovtsy. The episodes of the solar eclipse, of the parting from Yaroslavna, etc., divide it into halves which fringe the entire prologue. In those days this whole middle part was non-existent, and the chorus formed one unbroken number of rather considerable dimensions.[5]

—Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life, 1909

The idea of a choral epilogue in the original scenario was no doubt inspired by the example of A Life for the Tsar by Mikhail Glinka, to whose memory Prince Igor is dedicated.

Borodin's primary occupation was chemistry, including research and teaching. However, he also spent much time in support of women's causes, much to the consternation of his fellow composers, who felt he should devote his time and talent to music.[6] In 1876, a frustrated Stasov gave up hope that Borodin would ever finish Prince Igor, and offered his scenario to Rimsky-Korsakov.[7] Rimsky-Korsakov instead assisted Borodin in orchestrating important numbers in preparation for concert performance—for example, the Polovtsian Dances in 1879:


There was no end of waiting for the orchestration of the Polovtsian Dances, and yet they had been announced and rehearsed by me with the chorus. It was high time to copy out the parts. In despair I heaped reproaches on Borodin. He, too, was none too happy. At last, giving up all hope, I offered to help him with the orchestration. Thereupon he came to my house in the evening, bringing with him the hardly touched score of the Polovtsian Dances; and the three of us—he, Anatoly Lyadov, and I—took it apart and began to score it in hot haste. To gain time, we wrote in pencil and not in ink. Thus we sat at work until late at night. The finished sheets of the score Borodin covered with liquid gelatine, to keep our pencil marks intact; and in order to have the sheets dry the sooner, he hung them out like washing on lines in my study. Thus the number was ready and passed on to the copyist. The orchestration of the closing chorus I did almost single-handed..."[8]

—Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life, 1909

Borodin worked on Prince Igor, off and on, for almost 18 years.

Posthumous Completion and Orchestration: 1887 – 1888





Title page of the published score. The text reads: "Prince Igor, opera in 4 acts with a prologue, words and music by A.P. Borodin, subject adapted from The Lay of Igor's Host."
Borodin died suddenly in 1887, leaving Prince Igor incomplete. Rimsky-Korsakov and Stasov went to Borodin's home, collected his scores, and brought them to Rimsky-Korsakov's house.


Glazunov and I together sorted all the manuscripts ... In the first place there was the unfinished Prince Igor. Certain numbers of the opera, such as the first chorus, the dance of the Polovtsy, Yaroslavna's Lament, the recitative and song of Vladimir Galitsky, Konchak's aria, the arias of Konchakovna and Prince Vladimir Igorevich, as well as the closing chorus, had been finished and orchestrated by the composer. Much else existed in the form of finished piano sketches; all the rest was in fragmentary rough draft only, while a good deal simply did not exist. For Acts II and III (in the camp of the Polovtsy) there was no adequate libretto—no scenario, even—there were only scattered verses and musical sketches, or finished numbers that showed no connection between them. The synopsis of these acts I knew full well from talks and discussions with Borodin, although in his projects he had been changing a great deal, striking things out and putting them back again. The smallest bulk of composed music proved to be in Act III. Glazunov and I settled the matter as follows between us: he was to fill in all the gaps in Act III and write down from memory the Overture played so often by the composer, while I was to orchestrate, finish composing, and systematize all the rest that had been left unfinished and unorchestrated by Borodin.[9]

—Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life, 1909

The often-repeated account that Glazunov reconstructed and orchestrated the overture from memory after hearing the composer play it at the piano is true only in part. The following statement by Glazunov himself clarifies the matter:


The overture was composed by me roughly according to Borodin's plan. I took the themes from the corresponding numbers of the opera and was fortunate enough to find the canonic ending of the second subject among the composer's sketches. I slightly altered the fanfares for the overture ... The bass progression in the middle I found noted down on a scrap of paper, and the combination of the two themes (Igor's aria and a phrase from the trio) was also discovered among the composer's papers. A few bars at the very end were composed by me.[10]

—Alexander Glazunov, memoir, 1891, published in the Russkaya muzikalnaya gazeta, 1896


During the season of 1888–9 the Directorate of Imperial Theatres began to lead us a fine dance with the production of Prince Igor, which had been finished, published, and forwarded to the proper authorities. We were led by the nose the following season as well, with constant postponements of production for some reason or other."[11] "On October 23, 1890, Prince Igor was produced at last, rehearsed fairly well by K. A. Kuchera, as Nápravník had declined the honor of conducting Borodin's opera. Both Glazunov and I were pleased with our orchestration and additions. The cuts later introduced by the Directorate in Act 3 of the opera did it considerable harm. The unscrupulousness of the Mariinsky Theatre subsequently went to the length of omitting Act 3 altogether. Taken all in all, the opera was a success and attracted ardent admirers, particularly among the younger generation.[12]

—Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Chronicle of My Musical Life, 1909

The world premiere was given in St. Petersburg on 4 November (23 October O.S.), 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre. Set designers were Yanov, Andreyev, and Bocharov, while Lev Ivanov was balletmaster.

Moscow premieres followed later. The first was given in 1892 by the Russian Opera Society, conducted by Iosif Pribik. The Bolshoi Theatre premiere was given in 1898 and was conducted by Ulrikh Avranek

Other notable premieres were given in Prague in 1899, and in Paris in 1909, with a Sergei Diaghilev production featuring Feodor Chaliapin as Galitsky and Maria Kuznetsova as Yaroslavna. London saw the same production in 1914 conducted by Thomas Beecham, again with Chaliapin as Galitsky. In 1915 the United States premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera, but staged in Italian and conducted by Giorgio Polacco. The first performance in English was at Covent Garden on 26 July 1919, with Miriam Licette as Yaroslvna.[13]

In January and February 2009 there was a production at the Aalto Theatre by the Essen Opera. While some aspects of the production may have been unusual, one critic noted that "placing the (Polovtsian) Dances as a Finale is an elegant idea, [...] the director Andrejs Zagars and the conductor Noam Zur have thus presented a musically and dramaturgically coherent Prince Igor. Heartfelt applause for a worthwhile evening at the opera.[14]

In 2011 there was a concert performance in Moscow by Helikon Opera, based on Pavel Lamm's reconstruction. A new edition based on 92 surviving manuscripts by Borodin was completed by musicologist Anna Bulycheva and published in 2012.[15]

Publication history[edit]
1885, three arias, piano-vocal score, edition by Borodin, W. W. Bessel, St. Petersburg
1888, piano-vocal score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, M. P. Belyayev, Leipzig
1888, full score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, M. P. Belyayev, Leipzig
1953, piano-vocal score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, Muzgiz, Moscow
1954, full score, edition by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov, Muzgiz, Moscow
2012, piano-vocal score, the original version, edited by Bulycheva, Classica-XXI, Moscow[16]

Roles[edit]


Role

Voice type

St. Petersburg premiere,
4 November (23 October O.S.) 1890,
(Conductor: Karl Kuchera)

Moscow premiere,
1892
(Conductor: –)

Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow,
1898
(Conductor: – )

Igor Svyatoslavich, Prince of Novgorod-Seversky baritone Ivan Melnikov Ivan Goncharov Pavel Khokhlov
Yaroslavna, his wife by his second marriage soprano Olga Olgina Yelena Tsvetkova Mariya Deysha-Sionitskaya
Vladimir Igorevich, Igor's son from his first marriage tenor Mikhail Dmitrievich Vasilyev Mikhaylov Leonid Sobinov
Galitsky (Vladimir Yaroslavich), Prince of Galich, brother of Princess Yaroslavna listed as "high bass" Stepan Vlasov
Konchak, Cuman/Polovtsian khan bass Mikhail Koryakin Aleksandr Antonovsky Stepan Trezvinsky
Gzak, Polovtsian khan silent
Konchakovna, daughter of Khan Konchak contralto Mariya Slavina Azerskaya
Ovlur, a Christian Polovtsian tenor Uspensky
Skula, a gudok-player bass Fyodor Stravinsky Vasiliy Tyutyunnik
Yeroshka, a gudok-player tenor Grigoriy Ugrinovich Konstantin Mikhaylov-Stoyan
Yaroslavna's nurse soprano
A Polovtsian maiden soprano Dolina
Chorus, silent roles: Russian princes and princesses, boyars and boyarynas, elders, Russian warriors, maidens, people. Cuman/Polovtsian khans, Konchakovna's girlfriends, slaves (chagi) of Khan Konchak, Russian prisoners, Polovtsian sentries

Note:
The actual given name of the historical Yaroslavna is Yefrosinya (Russian: Ефросинья, English: Euphrosina). Yaroslavna is a patronymic, meaning "daughter of Yaroslav". Konchakovna's name is similarly derived.
Yaroslavna's brother, Vladimir Yaroslavich, is often called "Prince Galitsky" (Russian: Князь Галицкий), leading to the misconception that he was a prince by the name of Galitsky. In fact, he was a son of Prince of Galich Yaroslav Osmomysl. Prince Galitsky is a title meaning "Prince of Galich".

Synopsis[edit]

Time: The year 1185

Place: The city of Putivl (prologue, Acts 1 and 4); a Polovtsian camp (Acts 2 and 3)





Konstantin Korovin's costume design for Igor in the production of Prince Igor at the Mariinsky Theatre, 1909
Note: As discussed in this article, Borodin's final decision on the order of the first two acts is unclear. The traditional grouping presented here is that of the Rimsky-Korsakov-Glazunov edition. In many productions, Act 3 is omitted.

Prologue[edit]

The cathedral square in Putivl

Prince Igor is about to set out on a campaign against the Cumans/Polovtsy and their Khans who have previously attacked the Russian lands. The people sing his praise and that of his son, the other leaders and the army (Chorus: "Glory to the beautiful Sun"). A solar eclipse takes place to general consternation. Two soldiers Skula and Yeroshka desert feeling sure that Vladimir Yaroslavich, Prince Galitsky, will offer them work more to their liking. Although Yaroslavna, Igor's wife, takes the eclipse for a bad omen, Igor insists that honour demands that he go to war. He leaves her to the care of her brother, Prince Galitsky, who tells of his gratitude to Igor for sheltering him after he was banished from his own home by his father and brothers. The people sing a great chorus of praise (Chorus: "Glory to the multitude of stars") as the host sets out on their campaign against the Polovtsy.

Act 1[edit]

Scene 1: Vladimir Galitsky's court in Putivl





G. Petrov as Galitsky (1970)





Aria of Galitsky from Prince Igor








Aria of Galitsky from opera "Prince Igor" A. Borodin. Performed by Georgiy Petrov 1970


Problems playing this file? See media help.

Galitsky's followers sing his praise. Skula and Yeroshka are now working as gudok-players. They entertain the followers and all sing of how Galitsky and his men abducted a young woman and how she pleaded to be allowed to return to her father without being dishonoured. The prince arrives and sings of how, if he were Prince of Putivl, he would drink and feast all day while dispensing judgment and have the prettiest maidens with him all night (Galitsky's Song). The treasury would be spent on himself and his men while his sister would be praying in a monastery. A group of young women beg the prince to restore their abducted friend. He threatens them and drives them away, saying how she now lives in luxury in his quarters and does not have to work. The prince returns to his rooms having sent for wine for his followers. The gudok players and the prince's followers mock the women. They wonder what might happen if Yaroslavna hears of what happens, but then realise she would be helpless with all her men gone to war. They sing of how they are all drunkards and are supported by Galitsky. The men decide to go to the town square to declare Galitsky the Prince of Putivl, leaving just the two drunk musicians behind.

Scene 2: A room in Yaroslavna's palace

Yaraslavna is alone worrying about why she has not heard from Igor and his companions (Yaroslavna's Arioso). She sings of her tearful nights and nightmares and reminisces about when she was happy with Igor by her side. The nurse brings in the young women who tell Yaroslavna of their abducted friend. They are reluctant at first to reveal the culprit but eventually name Galitsky and talk of how he and his drunken followers cause trouble around Putivl. Galitsky enters and the women run away. Yaroslavna questions him as to the truth of their story and he mocks her saying she should treat him as a guest in her house. She threatens him with what Igor will do on his return, but Galitsky replies that he can seize the throne whenever he wants. Yaroslavna accuses him of repeating the betrayal that he carried out against their father, but he replies that he was only joking and asks if she has a lover now her husband is away. She threatens him with sending him back to their father. He replies that he will return the girl but will take another later and leaves. The council of boyars arrive to inform Yaroslavna that the Polovtsy under Khan Gzak are about to attack Putivl. Igor's army has been utterly destroyed and he has been wounded and captured with his son and brother. After a moment of faintness, Yaroslavna orders messengers sent to the city's allies, but the Boyars report that the roads are cut, some towns are in revolt and their princes will be captured. The Boyars say that they will organise the defence but Galitsky returns with his followers to demand that a new Prince be chosen. His retinue say it should be him as he is Yaroslavna's brother and Igor's brother-in-law. The boyars refuse. The argument is interrupted by the sight of flames and the sound of crying women. Some of the boyars flee; some join the battle, others guard the Princess. They call the attack God's judgment.





Scene design by Ivan Bilibin (1930)
Act 2[edit]

Evening in the Polovtsian Camp

Polovtsian maidens sing comparing love to a flower that droops in the heat of the day and is revived by night. They dance together (Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens). Konchakovna joins in the singing hoping that her own lover will join here soon (Konchakovna's Cavatina). The Russian prisoners arrive from their day's work and express their gratitide when fed by Konchakovna and the maidens. Their guards retire for the night leaving just Ovlur, a Christian, in charge. Vladimir, son of Igor, sings of his hope that his love will soon join him now that the day is fading (Vladimir's Cavatina). His love is Konchakovna. She comes and the two sing of their love and their desire to marry (Love Duet). While her father will consent to the marriage, they know that his will not. They part when they hear Igor coming. He sings of his disgrace and torment at being captured with his followers dead (Prince Igor's Aria). Only his wife, he feels, will be loyal. He hopes for the chance to regain his honour. Ovlur urges Igor to escape and the prince agrees to think about it. Khan Konchak asks him if all is well (Konchak's Aria) and he replies that the falcon cannot live in captivity. Konchak says that as Igor did not ask for mercy he is not a prisoner but an honoured guest equal to a Khan. Igor reminds him that he too knows what it is to be a captive. Konchak offers Igor freedom if he will promise not to wage war on him again, but he refuses saying he cannot lie. Konchak regrets that they were not born to be allies. They would then have captured all of Russia. He summons the Polovtsian slaves to entertain Igor and himself and offers Igor his choice of them. As the slaves dance the Polovtsy sing of Konchak's glory (Polovtsian Dances).

Act 3[edit]

The Polovtsian camp

The Polovtsian army returns in triumph singing the praise of Khan Gzak (Polovtsian March). Konchak sings of the sack of Putivl and other victories and confidently predicts that they will soon capture all of Russia. Igor and his son Vladimir have their worst fears confirmed by the new captives. Vladimir and the other prisoners urge Igor to escape, but he is at first reluctant, singing of his shame and saying that it is the duty of the other Russian princes to save the homeland (Igor's Monologue, Mariinsky edition only). Ovlur now arrives to say that he has prepared horses for Igor and Vladimir and Igor now agrees to escape. The distressed Konchakovna comes, challenging Vladimir to show his love by either taking her with him or by staying. Igor urges his son to come, but Vladimir feels unable to leave Konchakovna who threatens to wake the camp. Eventually Igor flees alone and Konchakovna sounds the alarm. She and her father refuse to let the Polovtsy kill Vladimir. Instead Konchak orders the death of the guards and marries Vladimir to his daughter. As for Igor, Konchak thinks more of him for his escape.

Act 4Dawn in Putivl

Yaroslavna weeps at her separation from Igor and the defeat of his army, blaming the very elements themselves for helping the enemy (Yaroslavna's Lament). Peasant women blame not the wind but Khan Gzak for the devastation. As Yaroslavna looks around to acknowledge the destruction, she sees two riders in the distance who turn out to be Igor and Ovlur. The two lovers sing of their joy of being reunited and of the expectation that Ivan will lead the Russians to victory against the Khan. Unaware of Igor's return, Skula and Yeroshka, the drunken gudok players, sing a song that mocks him. Then they notice him in the distance. After a moment of panic about what will happen to them, Skula says that they should rely on their cunning and decides on a plan that will save them. They ring the church bells to summon a crowd. Although people at first treat them with suspicion, the gudok players manage to convince the crowd that Igor has returned and the boyars that they are loyal followers of the true prince and not Galitsky. All joyously celebrate Igor's return.

Principal arias and numbers[edit]
Overture
Prologue
Chorus: "Glory to the beautiful Sun", «Солнцу красному слава!» (People of Putivl)Chorus: "Glory to the multitude of stars", «Частым звёздочкам слава!» (People of Putivl)
Act 1
Song: "If only I had the honor", «Только б мне дождаться чести» (Galitsky)Arioso: "A long time has passed", «Немало времени прошло с тех пор» (Yaroslavna)
Act 2
Dance: "Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens", «Пляска половецких девушек» (Orchestra)Cavatina: "The light of day fades", «Меркнет свет дневной» (Konchakovna)Cavatina: "Slowly the day died away", «Медленно день угасал» (Vladimir)Duet: "Is that you, my Vladimir?", «Ты ли, Владимир мой?» (Konchakovna, Vladimir)Aria: "No sleep, no rest for my tormented soul", «Ни сна, ни отдыха измученной душе» (Igor)Aria: "Are you well, Prince?", «Здоров ли, князь?» (Konchak)Polovtsian Dances: "Fly away on the wings of the wind", «Улетай на крыльях ветра» (Slaves, Konchak)
Act 3
March: "Polovtsian March", «Половецкий марш» (Orchestra)Trio: "Vladimir! Is all this really true?", «Владимир! Ужель все это правда?» (Konchakovna, Vladimir, Igor)
Act 4
Aria: "Oh, I weep", «Ах, плачу я» (Yaroslavna)Chorus: "God heard our prayers", «Знать, господь мольбы услышал» (People of Putivl)
Both the Overture to Prince Igor and the "Polovtsian Dances" (from Act II) are well-known concert standards. Together with the "Polovtsian March", they form the so-called "suite" from the opera.


Prince Igor is a staple of Russian Opera, but has not travelled well abroad. One obvious reason is the Russian language, although translation into Italian was once a solution.

Another explanation for the failure to gain acceptance is its lack of unity resulting from its unfinished state. Despite the skill and efforts of editors Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov, the opera is still episodic and dramatically static, a problem of which the composer himself was aware when he embarked on composition (see quote above in "Composition History"). This is partly a consequence of Borodin's failure to complete a libretto before beginning composition of the music—the same problem that plagued his colleague Mussorgsky in the composition of Khovanshchina.[17] Both composers wrote their librettos piece by piece while composing the music, both lost sight of the overall narrative thread of their operas, and both wound up with pages and pages of music that needed to be sacrificed to assemble a cohesive whole.[citation needed] Also, both died before finishing their operas, leaving the task of completion, editing, and orchestration to Rimsky-Korsakov.

It is a pity that Prince Igor is not performed more often, as it has a colorful setting, marvellous moments of drama and characterization, and music of sumptuous beauty.[18] It does not, however, have a well-constructed or tightly integrated plot. "The chief appeal of Prince Igor lies in the quality of its individual numbers rather than its whole shape or ability to involve an audience in the narrative."[17]


One of the main considerations when performing Prince Igor is the question of whether to include Act 3, much of which was composed by Glazunov. The practice of omitting it was mentioned as early as 1909 in Rimsky-Korsakov's memoirs.[19] Many productions leave Act 3 out because it "fails to carry conviction both musically and dramatically."[20] On the other hand, maintaining the act has certain benefits. It contains some fine pages (e.g., the "Polovtsian March"), provides an important link in the narrative (Igor's escape, Vladimir's fate), and is the origin of some of the memorable themes first heard in the overture (the trio, brass fanfares). Fortunately, the option of omitting the fine overture, also known to have been composed by Glazunov, is seldom if ever considered.

Recently, the question of the best sequence of scenes in which to perform the opera has gained some prominence. Borodin did not complete a libretto before composing the music to Prince Igor.[21] The opera has traditionally been performed in the edition made by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. It will be obvious that the positions to which they assigned the Prologue, Act 3, and Act 4 cannot be changed if the story is to make sense. However, because the events of Act 1 and Act 2 overlap and are independent of one another, Act 2 may just as well precede Act 1 without any loss of coherence. Soviet musicologists Pavel Lamm and Arnold Sokhor reported the existence of a written plan (now in Glinka's Musical Culture Museum, Moscow), in Borodin's hand, that specified this sequence of scenes:[3]
1.The omen from heaven (Prologue)
2.Imprisonment (Act 2)
3.Galitsky's court (Act 1, Scene 1)
4.Yaroslavna's palace (Act 1, Scene 2)
5.Escape (Act 3)
6.Return (Act 4)

Sokhor assessed the plan as not written later than 1883.[22] The 1993 recording of Prince Igor by Valery Gergiev with the Kirov Opera features a new edition of the score with additions commissioned from composer Yuri Faliek for a production at the Mariinsky Theatre, adopting this hypothetical original sequence. The authors of the notes to the recording assert that this order better balances the musical structure of the score by alternating the acts in the Russian and Polovtsian settings with their distinctive musical atmospheres.

Despite this justification, there is reason to maintain the traditional sequence. Act II contains most of the numbers for which the work is known today, with Igor's brooding and impassioned aria ("Oh give me freedom") at the center, flanked by Vladimir's cavatina and Konchak's aria, not to mention the rousing conclusion provided by the Polovtsian Dances. Moving its wealth of arias and dances from the center of the work to near the beginning may weaken the opera's structure.

The "Mariinsky edition" makes other important changes and additions to the score. Although much of the material composed or orchestrated by Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov is retained, there are additions culled from the unpublished vocal score by Pavel Lamm, orchestrated and linked by Faliek. The changes include:[23]
About 200 bars added to the scene in Yaroslavna's palace which make explicit Galitsky's rebellion
Various additions and removals from Act 3, including the restoration of a monologue for Igor composed by Borodin in 1875. A review in Gramophone highlights how the newly added monologue "helps to give a weighty focus to Act 3, otherwise a phenomenal feat of reconstruction on Glazunov's part, but somehow insubstantial".[24]
A different final chorus for Act 4, "Glory to the multitude of stars", a repeat of material from the Prologue. This idea is historically justified, as Borodin had originally placed this chorus at the end of the opera in the form of an epilogue [see the quote by Rimsky-Korsakov above under Composition history]. This regrettably necessitates the elimination of Borodin's subsequent chorus, "God heard our prayers".

In the West, the opera has often been given in languages other than Russian. For example, the 1960 recording under Lovro von Matačić is sung in German, the 1964 recording under Armando La Rosa Parodi is in Italian and the 1982 David Lloyd-Jones recording is in English. On the other hand, the 1990 Bernard Haitink and the 1962 Oscar Danon recordings are Western performances sung in Russian.[25]

Structure[edit]
The numbers are given according to the traditional Rimsky-Korsakov-Glazunov edition.
The dates refer to composition, not orchestration. Where a pair of dates differ, a large gap (more than one year) may indicate an interruption of composition or a revision of the musical number.
In No.1 (the Prologue), the Eclipse scene (301 bars) was orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov and the remainder by Borodin.


No. Act Number

Start

End

Composer

Orchestrator


– – Overture 1887 1887 Glazunov Glazunov
1 – Prologue 1876 1885 Borodin Borodin*
2a Act 1, Scene 1 Chorus 1875 1875 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
2b Act 1, Scene 1 Recitative and Song: Galitsky 1879 1879 Borodin Borodin
2c Act 1, Scene 1 Recitative: Galitsky n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
2d Act 1, Scene 1 Maiden's Chorus and Scena n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
2e Act 1, Scene 1 Scena: Skula, Yeroshka n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
2f Act 1, Scene 1 Song in Honor of Prince Galitsky: Skula, Yeroshka 1878 1878 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
2g Act 1, Scene 1 Chorus n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
3 Act 1, Scene 2 Arioso: Yaroslavna 1869 1875 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
4 Act 1, Scene 2 Scena: Yaroslavna, Nurse, Chorus 1879 1879 Borodin Borodin
5 Act 1, Scene 2 Scena: Yaroslavna, Galitsky 1879 1879 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
6 Act 1, Scene 2 Finale: Yaroslavna, Galitsky, Chorus 1879 1880 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
7 Act 2 Chorus of Polovtsian Maidens n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
8 Act 2 Dance of Polovtsian Maidens n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
9 Act 2 Cavatina: Konchakovna 1869 1869 Borodin Borodin
10 Act 2 Scena: Konchakovna, Chorus 1887 1887 Rimsky-Korsakov / Glazunov Rimsky-Korsakov / Glazunov
11 Act 2 Recitative and Cavatina: Vladimir 1877 1878 Borodin Borodin
12 Act 2 Duet: Vladimir, Konchakovna 1877 1878 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
13 Act 2 Aria: Igor 1881 1881 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
14 Act 2 Scena: Igor, Ovlur n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
15 Act 2 Aria: Konchak 1874 1875 Borodin Borodin
16 Act 2 Recitative: Igor, Konchak n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
17 Act 2 Polovtsian Dances with Chorus 1869 1875 Borodin Borodin / Rimsky-Korsakov / Lyadov
18 Act 3 Polovtsian March 1869 1875 Borodin Borodin / Rimsky-Korsakov
19 Act 3 Song: Konchak n.a. n.a. Glazunov Glazunov
20 Act 3 Recitative and Scena n.a. n.a. Borodin Glazunov
22 Act 3 Recitative: Ovlur, Igor 1888 1888 Glazunov Glazunov
23 Act 3 Trio: Igor, Vladimir, Konchakovna n.a. 1888 Borodin / Glazunov Glazunov
24 Act 3 Finale: Konchakovna, Konchak, Chorus 1884 n.a. Borodin / Glazunov Glazunov
25 Act 4 Lament: Yaroslavna 1875 1875 Borodin Borodin
26 Act 4 Peasant's Chorus 1879 1879 Borodin Borodin
27 Act 4 Recitative and Duet: Yaroslavna, Igor 1876 1876 Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
28 Act 4 Gudok-Players' Song, Scena and Chorus n.a. n.a. Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov
29 Act 4 Finale: Skula, Yeroshka, Chorus n.a. n.a. Borodin Borodin / Rimsky-Korsakov


[26]

Recordings[edit]

This is a list of studio recordings. A comprehensive list of all recordings of Prince Igor may be found at operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

Audio
1952, Aleksandr Melik-Pashayev (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Andrey Ivanov (Igor), Yelena Smolenskaya (Yaroslavna), Sergey Lemeshev (Vladimir), Aleksandr Pirogov (Galitsky), Mark Reyzen (Konchak), Vera Borisenko (Konchakovna)
1955, Oskar Danon (conductor), Belgrade National Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Dushan Popovich (Igor), Valeria Heybalova (Yaroslavna), Noni Zunec (Vladimir), Zarko Cvejic (Galitsky, Konchak), Melanie Bugarinovic (Konchakovna)
1966, Jerzy Semkow (conductor), National Opera Theatre of Sofia; Constantin Chekerliiski (Igor), Julia Wiener (Yaroslavna), Todor Todorov (Vladimir), Boris Christoff (Galitsky, Konchak), Reni Penkova (Konchakovna)
1969, Mark Ermler (conductor), Bolshoy Theatre Orchestra and Chorus; Ivan Petrov (Igor), Tatyana Tugarinova (Yaroslavna), Vladimir Atlantov (Vladimir), Artur Eisen (Galitsky), Aleksandr Vedernikov (Konchak), Yelena Obraztsova (Konchakovna)
1990, Emil Tchakarov (conductor), Sofia Festival Orchestra and National Opera Chorus, Boris Martinovich (Igor), Stefka Evstatieva (Yaroslavna), Kaludi Kaludov (Vladimir), Nicola Ghiuselev (Galitsky), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Konchak), Alexandrina Milcheva-Nonova (Konchakovna) Sony 44878
1993, Valery Gergiev (conductor), Kirov Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Mikhail Kit (Igor), Galina Gorchakova (Yaroslavna), Gegam Grigorian (Vladimir), Vladimir Ognovienko (Galitsky), Bulat Minjelkiev (Konchak), Olga Borodina (Konchakovna), Philips 442–537–2.

Video
1981 Evgeny Nesterenko (Prince Igor), Elena Kurovskaya (Jaroslavna), Vladimir Sherbakov (Vladimir Igorevich), Alexander Vedernikov (Prince Galitsky), Boris Morozov (Konchak), Tamara Sinyavskaya (Konchakovna), Vladimir Petrov (Ovlur), Valery Yaroslavtsev (Skula), Konstantin Baskov (Yeroshka), Nina Grigorieva (Nurse), Margarita Miglau (Polovtsian Maiden) Orchestra & Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre, Mark Ermler.
1993 Nikolai Putilin, Galina Gorchakova, Evgeny Akimov, Sergey Aleksashkin, Vladimir Vaneev, Olga Borodina, Kirov Opera & Ballet, Valery Gergiev

See also[edit]Cuman people

References[edit]

Notes

1.^ Jump up to: a b Abraham and Lloyd-Jones (1986: p. 51).
2.Jump up ^ Hofmann (date unknown: p. 12).
3.^ Jump up to: a b Malkiel and Barry (1994: p. 16).
4.Jump up ^ Abraham and Lloyd-Jones (1986: p. 67).
5.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 160)
6.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 194)
7.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 134)
8.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 211)
9.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 283)
10.Jump up ^ Abraham (1939: p. 165)
11.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 297)
12.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 309)
13.Jump up ^ Music Web International: Miriam Licette, Charles A Hooey
14.Jump up ^ Dr. Eva Maria Ernst on www.operapoint.com 3 February 2009
15.Jump up ^ Parin A. Innere Logik. Opernwelt, 06/2011
16.Jump up ^ See Laura Kennedy's review in: Nineteenth-Century Music Review, vol. 10, issue 2, pp. 387-390.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Abraham and Lloyd-Jones (1986: p. 69).
18.Jump up ^ Hofmann (date unknown: The title).
19.Jump up ^ Rimsky-Korsakov (1923: p. 309).
20.Jump up ^ Abraham and Lloyd-Jones (1986: p. 70).
21.Jump up ^ Abraham and Lloyd-Jones (1986: pg. 69).
22.Jump up ^ Malkiel and Barry (1994: p. 16)
23.Jump up ^ Malkiel and Barry (1994: p. 17).
24.Jump up ^ " DN" review of Gergiev 1993 recording Gramophone, April 1995. p. 119. Link checked 24 September 2007
25.Jump up ^ Capon, B. Discography of Prince Igor. Link checked 22 September 2007.
26.Jump up ^ Album notes to the 1993 Kirov Opera recording, Philips CD 442–537–2. Information compiled by musicologist Marina Malkiel.

Sources
Abraham, G. (1939) On Russian Music, London (via album notes by Richard Taruskin in "Alexander Borodin: Orchesterwerke" Deutsche Grammophon CD 435 757–2)
Abraham, G. and Lloyd-Jones, D. (1986) "Alexander Borodin" in Brown, D. (ed.) The New Grove: Russian Masters 1, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., pp. 45–76.
Borodin, A. Libretto for Prince Igor.
Hofmann, M. Une musique d'une somptueuse beauté (album notes to the 1952 Bolshoy Theatre recording) Le Chant du Monde CD LDC 2781041/43
Malkiel, M. and Barry, A. (1994) Authenticity in Prince Igor:Open Questions, New Answers (introductory note to 1993 Gergiev recording) pp. 13–22 of booklet, Philips CD 442–537–2.
Rimsky-Korsakov, N. (1923) Chronicle of My Musical Life, translated by J. A. Joffe, New York: Knopf

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prince Igor.
"Galitsky's Song" on YouTube
Prince Igor: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Libretto (PDF)
Synopsis and libretto, Italian and English, 1915 (courtesy of Open Library)

Symphony No. 2 (1869–1876) ·
In the Steppes of Central Asia (1880) ·
String Quartet No. 2 (1881) ·
Scherzo in A-flat major (1885) ·
Polovtsian Dances ·
Petite Suite


Operas

Prince Igor (1869–1887) ·
Mlada (1872)

Categories: Operas by Alexander Borodin Russian-language operas 1890 operas
Operas Operas completed by others The Tale of Igor's Campaign Classical musical works published posthumously