Borodin
Alexander Borodin (1833–1887) was a Russian composer and chemist whose small but brilliant output includes the opera Prince Igor and the Polovtsian Dances.
In Depth
Borodin was one of the "Mighty Handful" of Russian nationalist composers, but he was equally distinguished as a research chemist and medical professor. His dual career meant he composed only in his spare time, and his output was consequently small — but nearly everything he wrote is of the highest quality. The Polovtsian Dances from his opera Prince Igor (completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov) are among the most thrilling pages in all of Russian music.
His two completed string quartets are masterpieces of the chamber repertoire, with the Nocturne from String Quartet No. 2 being one of the most beautiful slow movements ever written. His Symphony No. 2 in B minor is a powerful, concentrated work that influenced later Russian symphonists. Borodin's melodies were so appealing that the Broadway musical Kismet (1953) was built entirely from his music — "Stranger in Paradise" is adapted from the Polovtsian Dances. He died suddenly of a heart attack at a party, reportedly in mid-sentence.
Borodin was a full-time chemistry professor who composed only on holidays and sick days — he joked that his friends wished him ill health so he would have more time to write music.