The multitalented Alexander Borodin was born on November 12, 1833, in St. Petersburg, Russia. He led a remarkable double life because composing music was not his principal profession since he devoted much of his working life to the sciences, teaching chemistry at the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy in St. Petersburg. Borodin belonged to the celebrated group known as the Russian Five whose members sought to create a distinctly Russian national musical style. Other members were Balakirev, Cui, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Borodin contributed to the education of women in medicine and composed in his spare time, often between scientific and academic responsibilities. His compositions are distinguished by a rich orchestration, memorable melodies, rhythmic vitality and an unmistakable Russian character. There is something wonderfully paradoxical about his life: his scientific career was utterly serious, but his extraordinary musical imagination yielded an enduring legacy.