Alexander Borodin, Russian chemist and part-time composer, had a gift for melodious compositions combining Russian and oriental themes. One indication of this is that almost 70 years after his death he was awarded a Tony for his music which was adapted for the exotic Broadway production Kismet.

His three symphonies aren't as well-known as their quality justifies and as this remastered disc of the excellent performances directed by Loris Tjeknavorian clearly demonstrates. Chock-full of gorgeous melodies, note in particular that the rarely-played two movements of the unfinished 3rd Symphony have a theme in the first movement which, once heard, is hard to get out of your mind. Available for about $5 up from various Amazon sellers.


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Enjoy the music, not the equipment.