Alexander Borodin

Wikipedia (1833-1887) [Russian. Romanic.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Polovtsian Dances - excerpt (from Prince Igor)

Background

Borodin's composing output is quite limited, since he was trained and worked as a chemist his whole life. While he displayed talent and passion for music at a young age, composing would always be a side gig for him. He worked as a physician and chemist, making discoveries and advances in his field, and he also advocated for women's rights and education.

As a composer, Borodin was part of the Nationalist movement in the mid 1800s, and was one of the members of The Five, a group of Russian composers who dedicated themselves to creating unique Russian music. (The group of five included Balakirev, Cui, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Borodin.)

Orchestral

Borodin wrote two full symphonies, and left one incomplete. He also wrote a symphonic poem called In the Steppes of Central Asia, which is another work capturing the feeling of a specific culture, in line with the Nationalistic goals of the time.

In the Steppes of Central Asia | Symphony 1 | Symphony 2

Opera

Although Borodin spent much time working on the few operas he started, he didn't finish any of them. Music from Prince Igor is probably the most easily recognized music he wrote.

Polovtsian Dances (with chorus) | Polovtsian Dances (no chorus)

Chamber Music

Borodin was a cellist himself, and enjoyed performing chamber music. He wrote quite a bit of chamber music; his two string quartets are frequently performed. In addition, he wrote piano trios and quintets, string quintets, and other combinations.

String Quartet 1