Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 183327 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as " The Five", a group dedicated to prod ...

's Scherzo in A-flat major is a lively piece written in 1885, while Borodin was in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

for an early performance of his then incomplete opera ''

Prince Igor ''Prince Igor'' (, ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the early Russian epic '' The Lay of Igor's Host'', which recounts the campaign of the 12th-centur ...

''. Scherzo in A-flat at allmusic/ref> It was originally written for solo piano, but in 1889

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

orchestrated it, along with the '' Petite Suite''.Alexander Glazunov
Borodin dedicated the piece to Théodore Jadoul, who made a

four-hand piano Piano four hands (, , ) is a type of piano duet involving two players playing the same piano simultaneously. A duet with the players playing separate instruments is generally referred to as a '' piano duo''.Bellingham, Jane"piano duet" ''The O ...

arrangement of it.

Style

The Scherzo can be recognized as one of Borodin's compositions instantaneously because of its bright tone, pounding rhythms, and exciting melodies. In the main theme of the piece a constant rhythm is used, giving it a clear beat, but unfortunately, this also makes it very challenging for the pianist due to the constant jumps required. The piece often modulates, making it more interesting and varied. Played at the correct speed, the piece only lasts around three minutes. However, this ''"miniature"'' offers an admirable summary of its composer's style.

Recordings

The following pianists have recorded the piece:

Orchestration

In 1889, just two years after Borodin's death,

orchestrated the '' Petite Suite''. Glazunov's orchestration of the Suite makes the 7th movement (Finale) the Scherzo, with the Nocturne inserted inside it as a trio section. The total length of the movement is around eight minutes.Petite Suite (Orchestration) at Amazon
/ref>

References

External links

* ''Scherzo in A-flat major''at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Scores for ''Scherzo in A-flat major''
at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
''Scherzo in A-flat major'' played by Sergei Rachmaninoff
at

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''Scherzo in A-flat major'' played by Margaret Fingerhut
at

{{Authority control Compositions for solo piano Compositions by Alexander Borodin Piano compositions in the Romantic era Piano compositions by Russian composers 1885 compositions Compositions in A-flat major

Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 183327 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as " The Five", a group dedicated to prod ...

Style

Recordings

Orchestration

See also

References

External links