Borodin String Qtt 2


By The Borodin String Quartet on EMI Angel (CDC 7 47795 2) recorded originally by MELODIYA in 1980, analog.
I'm impressed by the the very sensitive playing and the recording quality (via Lexicon RT20 through the Spectral DMC20 & DMA180 & reference MIT pc's, ic's & spk cables.) It did not sound anywhere near as good an another decent system without the ac power conditioning. Looking for comments of other listeners of this, what I consider) excellent modern piece and recording.
ptss
Personally, I consider it a minor masterpiece forever ruined, for me at least , by the theft of the slow melody for the corny "This is My Beloved" from the musical "Kismet" .

That said, one of the finest sounding chamber CD's I ever heard was the 2nd by the St. Petersburg Qt on the Dorian label. Dorian is defunct but usually can be found used on Amazon.
I haven't heard it but the Naxos version got good reviews in the British press.
I thought it was a well-known piece. Another movement was pirated to make the pop tune "Baubles, Bangles and Beads."
Regardless, it's a nice piece of music
.
I only have one disc of Borodin, his Symphonies 1 & 2. Honestly, I'm with Brownsfan - Borodin is somewhat obscure, and definitely isn't a name I would search for actively with regards to chamber music.

I will, however, look for your subject disc - if I find it, I'll give it a listen.
Ptss I have the specific recording. What prompted me to purchase it was a Academy of St. Martin in the Fields analog recording "The Academy-By Request" I have cherished for years. It is a compliation of works by Handel; JS Bach; Handel and several other Romantic era composers including Borodin. It was the Nocturne from the 2nd Quartet that captivated me on first listen and still does. The Academy recording is a larger string/horn ensemble, not a quartet.

I am somewhat a fan of Borodin probably stemming from hearing early recordings of Kismet as a kid I suppose as my mother loved it. The music is quite beautiful, exotic and mysterious in a way that I hear with some of Rimsky-Korsakov's works. I have numerous recordings of the Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, probably his most popular and famous work.