Glazunov, Alexander (1865 - 1936)

[Guest]

Rob Cowan seems to have a bit of a 'thing' about Glazunov. Every time he argues the case for this composer in general and/or a particular work, I really try to listen with an open mind and pay attention, but after a while I start to lose interest, and then become increasingly irritated. Currently playing is a symphony which appears, to my admittedly untrained ears, to be far too long for its few, endlessly rehashed, musical ideas. However...like Manuel, I am willing to learn from anybody who can tell me what I should be looking out for - assuming, of course, that there IS anything to look out for....

[edashtav]

Rob Cowan seems to have a bit of a 'thing' about Glazunov. Every time he argues the case for this composer in general and/or a particular work, I really try to listen with an open mind and pay attention, but after a while I start to lose interest, and then become increasingly irritated. Currently playing is a symphony which appears, to my admittedly untrained ears, to be far too long for its few, endlessly rehashed, musical ideas. However...like Manuel, I am willing to learn from anybody who can tell me what I should be looking out for - assuming, of course, that there IS anything to look out for....

I bought for a song, a full score of Glazunov's 6th Symphony when I was 12 or 13. I admit that I had fallen in love with its colourful frontispiece. It predisposed me to value its composer and his work. What to look for? Colourful scoring, solid craftsmanship, some good tunes, and, pace Northender, knowing when to stop. Think of the two piano, one violin and one saxophone concerti: none of them are longer than 22 minutes, all are well-built and when their themes are carefully shaped by artists of the calibre of S. Richter, memorable. No, Rob Cowan should not crow too loudly about Glazunov but he's worthy of an occasional outing.

[Pabmusic]

I do listen occasionally to Glazunov, and my eyes often glaze over after a while (often, sadly, in less than the length of a symphony). I don't really understand it, as I quite enjoy many Russian composers, and I rate Borodin and Kalinnikov very highly. There are few truly memorable bits of Glazunov - for me at least - apart from 'that tune' in the 'Winter' section of The Seasons. The fifth symphony is enjoyable, if I'm in the right mood.

[BBMmk2]

Well, all |i can say for Glazounov's music, it just doesn't do it for me.

[Black Swan]

I have to agree with the opinions stated so far. With the exception of as Pabmusic states the Tune from the Winter section of the Seasons Glazunov doesn't excite me.

JOhn

[Roehre]

I bought for a song, a full score of Glazunov's 6th Symphony when I was 12 or 13. I admit that I had fallen in love with its colourful frontispiece. It predisposed me to value its composer and his work. What to look for? Colourful scoring, solid craftsmanship, some good tunes, and, pace Northender, knowing when to stop. Think of the two piano, one violin and one saxophone concerti: none of them are longer than 22 minutes, all are well-built and when their themes are carefully shaped by artists of the calibre of S. Richter, memorable. No, Rob Cowan should not crow too loudly about Glazunov but he's worthy of an occasional outing.

I cannot better this statement , only adding one of my favourites, The Seasons (the complete ballet that is)

[cloughie]

...only adding one of my favourites, The Seasons (the complete ballet that is)

A work I fell in love with years ago via the PCO/Wolff on an Ace of Clubs LP and have acquired many others since. If you don't try anything else of his listen to Seasons a dozen times - if you still don't like it, northy, then Glazunov is not for you.

[Dave2002]

Glazunov himself found Wagner very difficult to take. Apparently after 10 or so attempts, he finally decided that Wagner was worth listening to after all.

I found getting to know Glazunov's work a bit like that. The first and second symphonies are pleasant, similar, and probably too long. The first was remarkable though, as it was written when Glazunov was 16, and performed to considerable acclaim and surprise, a year later. The fourth has a beautiful opening. The fifth also has its moments, including a scherzo which was encored at the first performance. The seventh at least starts well, in a pastoral vein. The sixth and eighth are really rather serious, with #8 becoming really rather lugubrious. The ninth isn't normally included with the rest, but carries on the gloomy style of number 8. I've not mentioned #3 - which is another easy to listen to work.

Russian composers often seem to go in for long slow movements, which meander around, and one can wallow in the luscious sound, get bored, or go to sleep. Rachmaninov and Glazunov have similar traits in this regard. They can also produce moments of brashness and banality, and also some rather beautiful moments.

Perhaps the biggest complaint I have about Glazunov's symphonies is that the movements in most of them don't seem to hang together very well, though some exhibit cyclic tendencies. Considering this certainly made me rethink what I understand by a symphony, though I've not completely sorted this yet. A symphony should surely not just be a set of movements with no connection to each other - and perhaps not even the earlier suites did that.

Despite the criticisms, I think it would good if some Glazunov symphonies are performed live. They once used to be part of the UK scene (so I've read), but are pretty much out of it now, though I think the RLPO has done/is doing one of them sometime around now - or maybe last year.

Glazunov is not Beethoven, but there are more than enough performances of Beethoven to allow for an occasional outing of his symphonies in the concert hall. His violin concerto is, I believe, still popular, and perhaps deservedly so. I think there is a case to be made for listening to Glazunov's music - though it does take time to get to like some of it, and I can understand that some might not get there.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Well put dave2002. I love Glazunov's music. Yes it does take repeated listening to really appreciate I think. Though I liked the 1st and 7th symphonies straightaway, the others took me quite a while to appreciate. I've studied a score of the 6th symphony and would love to study the rest of them. One shouldn't overlook his piano music either. His sonatas are technically very demanding and make rewarding listening.

[jayne lee wilson]

I've tried hard with Glazunov, finding most pleasure in the 5th and 7th - the latter has a lovely, pastoral opening movement -gorgeous slow movement too - but is slightly let down by a too conventional Triumphant Finale. I do return to it though. Perhaps my favourite piece of his is the Symphonic Fantasy "The Sea", Op.28. Svetlanov's live effort on Exton (c/w Debussy and Ciurlionis) really makes the most of it!

Symphony No.1 is a charming introduction - Mendelssohn with a Russian accent, perhaps...

[Barbirollians]

Julia Fischer and Heifetz make a good case for the Violin Concerto but otherwise he has never rocked my boat .

[edashtav]

Symphony No.1 is a charming introduction - Mendelssohn with a Russian accent, perhaps...

That's a good point you've made, JLW, there is a touch of Mendelssohn in Glazunov.

[Pabmusic]

I have to agree with the opinions stated so far. With the exception of as Pabmusic states the Tune from the Winter section of the Seasons Glazunov doesn't excite me.

JOhn

These things are all relative. I simply said the tune was 'memorable' - surely you'd concede that? I wouldn't say there's anything that 'excites' me.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

He doesn't make my eyes glaze over, nor does he raise my pulse-rate: some nice tunes, effective orchestrations, decent scherzi - and I like the A minor Violin Concerto. But (IMO) his best work was teaching Shostakovich.

[PJPJ]

No, he doesn't make my eyes glaze over, far from it. His work is of variable quality, no different from most other composers, but there's excellent (and pulse-raising) stuff in the symphonies (is the 5th the most tightly constructed and interesting?), concertos, incidental music, ballet (especially The Seasons and Raymonda), and in his chamber and piano music. Is it all too light and unpretentious for so many these days?

I found some of the recordings of orchestral music on Naxos less involving than those by Otaka, Serebrier or Svetlanov, and would point to Sinaisky and the BBC PO in the 5th Symphony for a good starting point.