In the Steppes of Central Asia

In the Steppes of Central Asia (Russian: В Средней Азии, romanized: V Sredney Azii, lit.

'In Central Asia') is a symphonic poem (or "musical tableau") composed by Alexander Borodin in 1880, which he dedicated to Franz Liszt.

Amid these two ethnic melodies Borodin inserts a "traveling" theme in pizzicato that represents the plodding hoofs of the horses and camels.

The composer provided the following description in a note to the score:In the silence of the monotonous steppes of Central Asia is heard the unfamiliar sound of a peaceful Russian song.

The notes of the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony, which dies away as the caravan disappears in the distance.