Alexander Borodin (1833 ‑ 1887)
Polowetzer Dance No. 1
The Polovtsian Dances are from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor and are famous for their colorful, oriental-inspired music. The first dance, often called the Dance of the Young Maidens, is characterized by a gentle, lyrical melody that creates a graceful and exotic mood. These dances were composed as part of a scene in which the Polovtsian Khan entertains the imprisoned Prince Igor with magnificent dances. (The Polovtsians are a Turkic people of the Kypchaks.) The dances are among Borodin's best-known compositions.
