As a member of the so-called Mighty Five, composer Alexander Borodin did much to establish and cultivate a definitive Russian nationalist school of composition. This group made up primarily of amateurs that included Mily Balakirev (1837-1910), Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), César Cui (1835-1918), and Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) strove to incorporate Russian folk idioms, melodies, harmonies, and rhythms into the German or Western European dominated classical music forms. A chemist by profession, Borodin remained largely unfettered by the constraints of conventional conservatory training. Through the use of colorful orchestration and exotic tonalities, he succeeded, especially in his tone poem In the Steppes of Central Asia, opera Prince Igor, and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, in creating a musical identity that was uniquely Russian.

For the unfinished Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Borodin left a sketch for the first movement and a completed version of the second in 1887. Composer Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) orchestrated both sections and reworked the first movement, Moderato assai, which was originally written for string quartet. It opens with a lovely "Russian" sounding unaccompanied oboe solo that expands into a woodwind choir. Unison strings repeat this theme that dominates the entire movement. Borodin was masterful at transforming and manipulating thematic material by altering the character and mood through changes in tempo, rhythm, and tonality. Another good example of this kind of thematic treatment can be found in the powerful first movement of Borodin's Symphony No. 2. The nature of the opening theme is one of forward momentum, helped by Mr. Glazunov's imaginative use of instrumentation as he features thematic fragments throughout the orchestra. Much of the second movement, Vivo, written in 1882, also intended for string quartet, is in the unusual meter of five. The use of this uneven meter is more common in the music of eastern European and Mediterranean countries, thus, distinguishing the style even further from the western tradition. It is a fairly typical scherzo, quick and energetic with a contrasting middle section that is slower, more lyrical, and pastoral in character. Par for this particular ABA form, the opening material makes a triumphant return. In spite of the symphony's brevity, it distinctly captures Borodin's undeniably Russian voice.

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