Alexander Borodin: Symphony No. 2
Alexander Borodin (1833–1887), who also worked as a chemist, composed his ‘Symphony No. 2’ – with various interruptions – between 1869 and 1876. During these years, he was working on two pieces at the same time: on the opera entitled ‘Prince Igor’ and the opera-ballet ‘Mlada’. The melodic language of ‘Symphony No. 2’ is – in many respects – similar to these musical works, yet its sound is highly innovative. When Alexander Borodin showed the symphony to Franz Liszt during a visit to Weimar, Master Liszt encouraged him not to change a single note: “You need not fear originality. Do not listen to those who try to divert you from your own path. Although there is nothing new under the sun, this symphony is entirely new. No one has ever composed anything like this before.”
Rimsky-Korsakov provided a very vivid and apt description of Borodin – who was also very active as a natural scientist – during the period when he was composing his ‘Symphony No. 2’. Composer Borodin’s flat included a laboratory, where – according to Rimsky-Korsakov – “Borodin used a tube to pass a colourless gas from one vessel to another thereby channelling nothing into nothing. Then he would return to his room, continue the conversation or simply start playing music. But then he would suddenly jump up, rush back to the laboratory to check whether anything had burnt completely or boiled away while some strange sounds produced by him noisily filled the corridor.”
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35
‘Scheherazade’ was premiered in 1888, and the first night’s performance was conducted by the composer himself. Following the work’s premiere in St. Petersburg, the composition quickly became popular. This four-movement piece, which paints the fictional world of the tales of ‘The Thousand and One Nights’ using bold orchestral colours, served as an important point of orientation and reference for young generations of Russian composers. ‘Scheherazade’ became really well-known in France with the help of a ballet production. Three weeks before the historically significant premiere of ‘The Firebird’ in Paris, the Russian Ballet presented a dance version of the piece ‘Scheherazade’ choreographed by Mikhail Fokin.
The symphonic suite, which resembles a colourful picture book, presents four episodes from Scheherazade’s tales, and the musical composition evokes very strong visual associations. Rimsky-Korsakov’s score describes and uses a large, romantic orchestra for the piece. Alongside the usual instrumental groups, the orchestra features percussion instruments, a harp and a solo violin, out of which the last instrument plays a defining role in the music and personifies the title character of Scheherazade. The other characters in the tales are also represented by distinctive instruments and instrumental groups: the image of the sultan, Shahryar, is primarily evoked by the low trombones and the tuba; Sinbad’s ship glides upon waves of timbral texture produced by the cellos; Prince Kalender is introduced by the bassoon while the lovers are symbolised by the two violin parts. The composer summarises the story that inspired his work as follows: “The Sultan of Samarkand, Shahryar, convinced that all women are unfaithful, vowed to have every wife of his executed after their wedding night. Yet, one of them was saved thanks to Scheherazade’s ingenious plan: after making love, Scheherazade held the Sultan’s attention for a thousand and one nights by telling him various stories. Sultan Shahryar was captivated by the tales he heard each night and so he kept postponing Scheherazade’s execution until he finally renounced his cruel vow and plan.”
**
Borodin and Rimszkij-Korszakov
OCT 29., 7:30 PM
Liszt Academy
JEGYEK
Fotó: Gábor Hontvári ©Zoltán Mekli