Alexander Porfiryevitch Borodin (Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’evič Borodin) (Nov.12, 1833 – Feb.27, 1887) was a Russian composer. Though during his life he had chemistry as his main profession, Borodin also became a well known musician. He is considered a member of the so-called “The Great Five”, a group of Russian composers who were dedicated to producing specifically national, grassroots kind of classical music. His fame out of Imperial Russia was introduced through Franz Liszt, who in 1880 held a performance of Borodin’s first symphony in Germany. He was admired also by French Countess of Mercy-Argenteau. Borodin’s music is noted for its strong lyricism and rich harmonies. It exudes also an undeniably Russian flavor, along with influences from Western composers. His passionate melodies and unusual harmonies evidenced an enduring influence on younger musicians in France, like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel (who, in his tribute, wrote a piece for piano entitled “À la manière de Borodine” in 1913). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.