Borodin wrote this quartet in two years,
and published it in 1879 with a dedication to Rimsky Korsakov's wife. Though
overshadowed by his more popular second quartet, the musical resources employed
by Borodin in it's composition were novel in 19th century Russia.
It full title is String Quartet on a Theme
of Beethoven, and it employes a variation of a melody from Beethoven's Op. 130
quartet. Upon hearing it, a critic stated that Borodin had produced Russia's
first great piece of chamber music.
About the author
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November
1833 – 27 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of
Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called
The Five (or "The Mighty Handful"), who were dedicated to producing a
specifically Russian kind of art music. He is best known for his symphonies,
his two string quartets, and his opera Prince Igor. Music from Prince Igor and
his string quartets was later adapted for the US musical Kismet.
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