Borodin Aleksandre

Borodin Aleksandre(1833-1887), Russian composer and scientist (chem ist). He was the son of Prince L. Gedevanishvili (Gedevanov) but was registered as the child of Gedevanishvili’s servant Porfiriy Borodin. Doctor of Medical Sciences (1858), Academician (1877) A. Borodin was born in St. Petersburg. In 1856 he graduated from the Academy of Medical Surgery. As of 1874 he headed the Chemical Laboratory of the Medical Academy of Russia. In 1872-87, A. Bordin was one of the promoters and teacher of women’s college and women’s medical courses. He was the author of over 40 scientific researches and innovations in the field of chemistry. Starting from 1850s A. Borodin became seriously interested in music. He wrote love songs, piano pieces, symphonies, etc. He was the member of Russian composer M. Balakirev’s creative circle of composers – „Powerful Group“. A. Borodins’ opera Prince Igor is viewed as an important achievement in the field of classical music. He had been working on it for 18 years and still, he left it unfinished. N. Rimski-Korsakov and A. Glazunov completed the opera after his death. In 1890 Prince Igor was staged at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. A. Borodin was the author of a number of symphonies and masterly chamber-vocal musical pieces. He was the creator of love songs and satirical-humorous songs. For the first time Prince Igor was staged at the Tbilisi Opera House in the 1898-99 season.

A. Borodin died in St. Petersburg.