Prince Igor
Opera
Prince Igor (Russian: Князь Игорь, romanized: Knyaz Igor, ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin.
The composer adapted the libretto from the early Russian epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of the 12th-century prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Cuman ("Polovtsian") tribes in 1185. He also incorporated material drawn from two medieval Kievan chronicles. The opera was left unfinished upon the composer's death in 1887 and was edited and completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. It was first performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890.
Recommended recordings
- Orchestra of the Kirov Opera · Valery Gergiev YouTubeSpotify (subscription)
- Sofia National Opera · Emil Tchakarov YouTubeSpotify (subscription)
Most recent recordings
- Borodin: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor - Balakirev: Symphony No. 1 in C Major (Remastered 2025) — Sir Thomas Beecham, Alexander Borodin, Mily Balakirev, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2025) Spotify
- Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (piano arr. by L. Faulkner) — Luke Faulkner, Alexander Borodin (2023) Spotify
New releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.