Remote Duet: Borodin's Allegretto (1861) - Alexander Karpeyev and Frederic Bager

In acknowledgement of all the hard work the NHS is doing at the moment, Pushkin House is starting an exploration of the life and work of Russian composer Alexander Borodin (1833-1887), who was a medical doctor by profession, as well as a professor of chemistry. Using all the technological means at his disposal, our music curator, Alexander Karpeyev, is making a series of recordings of Borodin’s works for piano, and piano duet, connecting with other self-isolating musicians. Borodin will also be featured extensively in Pushkin House playlists, a new feature showcasing the best of Russian classical music.

The first video in the series is a duet - Allegretto. Written in 1861, it was an engagement present for pianist Ekaterina Protopopova, whom Borodin was to marry early the following year. Full of light and innocence, Borodin’s Allegretto is somehow reminiscent of Schubert. Borodin would go on to dedicate his most famous work, String Quartet no. 2, to his wife. Alexander Karpeyev is joined remotely by his colleague, British pianist Frederic Bager for this Pushkin House premiere.

Click here to listen to the Pushkin House playlist for this week, compiled by Sasha Karpeyev and dedicated in its entirety to music by Alexander Borodin.

The playlist includes Borodin’s most famous works: String Quartet no. 2 and Polovetsian Dances from 'Prince Igor'. Serenata alla Spagnola incorporates the notes B-La-F, which stand for 'Beliaeff', Borodin's principal publisher, to whom the work is dedicated.