Evening Masterwork: Borodin’s Symphony No. 2

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)

Symphony No. 2 in B by Alexander Borodin

Evening Masterwork for July 11, 2020 – 7:00 PM on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9

It took Alexander Borodin nearly 8 years to complete his Second Symphony, and even after its premiere in 1877, the composer had to revise it because of its unpopularity. Nowadays, though, Bordin’s Symphony No. 2 may, in fact, be among the most popular of symphonies written by his fellow Russian contemporaries. The Symphony features programmatic elements throughout, including a gathering of Russian knights in the first movement; and Russian folk songs like “The Terrible Tsar” and “The Nightingale.” It’s our Evening Masterwork tonight at 7: Borodin’s Symphony No. 2 on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9.