Borodin - String Quartet No. 2 in F major - II. Scherzo Allegro

The String Quartet No. 2, written in 1881, by Alexander Borodin is a work in four movements:
1. Allegro moderato in D major and 2/2 time, with 304 bars;
2.Scherzo. Allegro in F major and 3/4 time, with 299 bars;
3.Notturno (Nocturne): Andante in A major and 3/4 time, with 180 bars;
4. Finale: Andante — Vivace in D major and 2/4 time, with 671 bars.

The scherzo second movement is also in sonata form rather than the ABA form more usual for scherzo-style movements. Of note is also the appearance of a scherzo as the second movement in a sonata cycle, rather than the more customary third movement. This is characteristic for Borodin, who used the same movement scheme (scherzo as a second movement) in his Second Symphony.

The principal theme of this movement (descending scale-based figure of the first violin, accompanied by a falling motive in a viola) reminds one of Mendelssohn's scherzi.

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.

Creative Commons license: Public Domain.