The Polovetsian Dances are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor. They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece as one of the best known works in the classical repertoire. In the opera the dances are performed with chorus, but concert performances often omit the choral parts. The dances do not include the "Polovetsian March" which opens Act III (No. 18), but the overture, dances, and march from the opera have been performed together to form a suite from Prince Igor. In the opera Prince Igor the dances occur in Act II (in the original edition). Portrait of Borodin Alexander Porfirevich Borodin (Александр Порфирьевич Бородин in Cyrillic, Aleksandr Porfirevič Borodin in transliteration) (31 Oct. ... Prince Igor (Russian: Knâz Igor) is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Alexander Borodin. ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... It has been suggested that Suite_de_Danses be merged into this article or section. ...

The dances

The first dance, which uses no chorus and is sometimes omitted in concerts, is No. 8, entitled "Dance of the Polovetsian Maidens" ["Пляска половецких девушек"]: Presto, 6/8, F Major; it is placed directly after the "Chorus of the Polovetsian Maidens" which opens the act and is followed by Konchakovna's cavatina. The dances proper appear at the end of the Act as an uninterrupted single number in several contrasting sections listed as follows (basic themes are indicated with letters in brackets and notated in the accompanying illustration

• No. 17, "Polovetsian Dance [sic] with Chorus" ["Половецкая пляска с хором"]
  • [a] Introduction: Andantino, 4/4, A Major
  • [b] Gliding Dance of the Maidens [Пляска девушек плавная]: Andantino, 4/4, A Major
  • [c + a] Wild Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин дикая]: Allegro vivo, 4/4, F Major
  • [d] General Dance [Общая пляска]: Allegro, 3/4, D Major
  • [e] Dance of the Boys [Пляска мальчиков] and 2nd Dance of the Men [Пляска мужчин]: Presto, 6/8, D Minor
  • [b’ + e’] Gliding Dance of the Maidens (reprise, soon combined with the faster dancing of the boys): Moderato alla breve, 2/2
  • [e’’] Dance of the Boys and 2nd Dance of the Men (reprise): Presto, 6/8, D Minor
  • [c’ + a’’] General Dance: Allegro con spirito, 4/4, A Major

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (930x597, 40 KB) Summary Musical notation (from computer input and screen capture) of themes from the Polovetsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin (1833-1886). ...

As an orchestral showpiece by an important nineteenth-century Russian composer, this work makes a spectacular impression. Notable instrumental solos include the clarinet (in No. 8 and the men's dance [c]) and the oboe and English horn (in the women's dance [b]).

Subsequent use

Most of the themes from No. 17 were incorporated into the 1953 musical Kismet, best known of which is the women's dance ("Gliding Dance of the Maidens"), adapted for the song "Stranger in Paradise". Thirteen years earlier, in 1940, Artie Shaw recorded "My Fantasy" (credited to composers Whiteman-Meskitt-Edwards) which has a tune virtually identical to this dance. Kismet is a musical written in 1953 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin. ... Stranger in Paradise is a popular song. ... Artie Shaw Arthur Arshawsky (May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004), better known as Artie Shaw, was an accomplished jazz clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and writer. ...

The text of the first stanza of this particular section in the opera is given below.

More recent adaptations of the music include the following:

• Some portion of the music appeared in the Warren G rap single "Prince Igor", where the original Russian lyrics were sung by Sissel Kyrkjebø, who also appeared in the accompanying music video. Subsequently, other rappers recorded cover versions.
• British string quartet bond recorded an instrumental version of the women's dance in their album "Shine", renamed "Strange Paradise" to fit with Kismet's use of the melody.
• Different adaptations of No. 17 "Gliding Dance of the Maidens" have been featured as background music in several TV series, including Princess Tutu, Noir, and Kare Kano, while it is given a special significance in RahXephon.
• A remix of the full piece (with chorus) was included on DDR SuperNOVA. This same piece and other variations are used in the Japan and Europe-only PlayStation 2 action game OZ - Over Zenith. The background video for SuperNOVA comes from FMV for the OZ game.

It has been suggested that G-Funk Entertainment be merged into this article or section. ... Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø (born June 24, 1969 in Bergen, Norway), also known as just Sissel, is a Norwegian singer. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Shine is the second album released by the classical crossover string quartet Bond. ... Princess Tutu is an anime TV-series based on and around ballet and the art of storytelling. ... Noir ), a 26-episode anime series from 2001, is a story of two young female assassins who embark together on a personal journey to seek answers about mysteries from their past. ... Kare Kano ), or His and Her Circumstances, or Kareshi Kanojo no Jijō ), is a 21 volume manga series by Masami Tsuda, and a 26 episode TV anime series directed by Hideaki Anno of Gainax. ... Original run 21 January 2002 – 10 September 2002 No. ... Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA (Dancing Stage SuperNOVA in Europe) is the latest arcade game in the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games. ...

References

• Borodin, A. Le Prince Igor. Partition pour chant et piano. Edition M.P. Belaieff. (Russian, French, and German text.)