Symphonies 1 & 2

Alexander Borodin actually completed startlingly little music, with fewer than ten major compositions finalized by the time of his death in 1887. Valery Gergiev has a deep understanding of the structure of these works, which he conveys with a wonderful feeling for dynamics (typically Russian in the brass) and light and shade. "Symphony No. 1" represents a developmental work completed in 1867 while "Symphony No. 2" is well-known and falls in the category of major completed compositions. Gergiev conducts an electrifying Borodin and pushed the Rotterdam Philharmonic to the edge, the brass section is fierce and the overall playing by the orchestra shows commitment and effort.