Alexander Borodin - String Quartets (Borodin Quartet)

Information

Composer: Alexander Borodin

• String Quartet No. 1 in A major
• String Quartet No. 2 in D major

Borodin Quartet

    Mikhail Kopelman, violin

    Andrei Abramenkov, violin

    Dmitri Shebalin, viola

    Valentin Berlinsky, cello

Date: 1980

Label: EMI Classics

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Alexander Borodin (12 November 1833 – 27 February 1887) was a Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian-Russian extraction. A member of "The Five," a group of composers dedicated to creating a distinctly Russian style of music, Borodin is known best for his symphonies, string quartets, In the Steppes of Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor. Although Borodin was a highly talented composer, he worked as a chemist for most of his life, being particularly noted for his work on aldehydes. His music, rich in folk melodies and emotional depth, has endured as a key part of the Russian classical tradition.

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The Borodin Quartet was formed in 1945 by four students from the Moscow Conservatory and remains one of the very few existing established chamber ensembles with uninterrupted longevity. The ensemble has survived many changes in personnel, with current members include Nicolai Sachenko, Sergei Lomovsky, Igor Naidin and Vladimir Balshin. The quartet was one of the Soviet Union's best known in the West during the Cold War era, through recordings and concert performances in the United States and Europe. Their recordings include works by a wide range of composers on the Melodiya, Teldec, Virgin, and Chandos labels.

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