Symphony No.1 in E flat major - Alexander Borodin

Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michel Plasson I - Adagio - Allegro - Andantino: 0:00 II - Scherzo. Prestissimo - Trio. Allegro - Prestissimo: 11:02 III - Andante: 17:34 IV - Allegro molto vivo: 25:14 Borodin’s first symphony was begun following the advices of Balakirev in 1862. Although by the end of that year the first movement was almost finished, the work would take several years to be finished. Completed in 1867, in the month of February 1868 Balakirev directed a semi-private audition of the work that did not convince too much. But on January 16, 1869 it is performed successfully in a concert of the Russian Musical Society. The first movement begins with an introduction in adagio. The main theme is presented slowly by the bass strings and the bassoons. At the beginning of the allegro, the subject is transformed, heard more clearly after a cadence of the trombones. The second thematic group is introduced warmly by the violins. After a brief crescendo the devel