Portrait of Glazunov by Ilya Repin, 1887 Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
The last of the great composers of Imperial Russia and the first of Soviet Russia, Alexander Glazunov was held in the highest esteem both at home and in the West, where he was hailed as the Russian Brahms.
His prodigious early musical output – including 8 symphonies, several concertos, string quartets and a quintet, three ballets, numerous orchestral tone poems and piano works, all composed before the age of 40 – heralded a composer of rare ability.
Yet by the time of his death he was far from home, in self-imposed exile, a relic of a time long past and all but forgotten in the great concert halls of Russia and in the West.
Music details:
Glazunov: Violin Concerto, mvt 1 – Julia Krasko (vln), Russian State Symphony Orchestra / Valeri Polyansky (Brilliant Classics 93565/1)
Glazunov: Symphony No1, mvt 2 – Russian State Symphony Orchestra / Valeri Polyansky (Brilliant Classics 93565/1)
Glazunov: Stenka Razin – Scottish National Orchestra / Neeme Järvi (Chandos CHAN 8479)
Glazunov: Symphony No2, mvt 1 - Russian State Symphony Orchestra / Valeri Polyansky (Brilliant Classics 93565/2)
Glazunov: String Quartet No3 Op26, mvt 4 – The Shostakovich Quartet (Regis RRC 1211)
Glazunov: Raymonda, La Traditore – LSO / Yondani Butt (Brilliant Classics 93565/7)
Glazunov: Symphony No8, mvt 4 – Russian State Symphony Orchestra / Valeri Polyansky (Brilliant Classics 93565/7)
Glazunov: Piano Concerto No1, Variation IX – Stephen Coombs (pno), BBC Scottish SO / Martyn Brabbins (Hyperion CDA 66877)
Glazunov: Violin Concerto, mvt 2 – Julia Krasko (vln), Russian State Symphony Orchestra / Valeri Polyansky (Brilliant Classics 93565/1)
Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto, mvt 3 – John Harle (saxophone), ASMF / Neville Marriner (EMI CDC 7 54301)
