The Symphonie n° 2 in so minor op.5 of Borodine was started in 1869, the same year as its opera the Prince Igor with which it has close reports/ratios.

The composition of two works was long and difficult. For its Symphony, Borodine re-used materials already present in the opera or which were intended to him, reinforcing their bonds of climate and colors.

The symphony was finished in 1876, and Borodine called it itself Épique . It indeed traversed of a powerful heroism, in particular its first movement, of which the topic " épique" returns throughout work. The other movements are of a typically Russian color. The Andante especially is a superb melody, which recalls celebrates it In the steppes of the Central Asia , followed without pause of the Finale to the Russian character of festival whose topic is well-known:

• I. Allegro - Animato assai

• II. Scherzo. Prestissimo - Allegretto - Tempo I
• III. Andante
• IV. Finale. Allegro

It was created without real success in 1877, under the direction of Eduard Nápravník. Borodine made minor changes in the orchestration, and met this time success under the rod of Rimski-Korsakov in 1879.

Its Prince Igor , remained to him on its work table until its death in 1887 and remained unfinished, and was supplemented by Rimski-Korsakov and Glazounov (which also supplemented its Third symphony started in 1882 and it so unfinished).

Discography

• Kirill Kondrachine with the Orchestra of Concertgebouw of Amsterdam in 1980
• Carlos Kleiber with the Symphony orchestra of the SWR of Stuttgart in 1972