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Classical Editor: Rob Barnett
Music Webmaster
Len Mullenger:
Len@musicweb-international.com
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Classical Editor: Rob Barnett
Music Webmaster |
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ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV
(1865-1936) Orchestral
Works 
A Naxos Series: the first 10 discs |
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I wonder if Naxos were trying to tell us anything about Glazunov's music in making this rather than a brace of symphonies the first volume in what must surely extend to at least a 20 volume series. Certainly balletic and broader dance qualities are as prevalent in his music as they are in Tchaikovsky's even though the candle power is generally an order of magnitude lower than that to be found in Tchaikovsky's best music. In any event this is the complete score and for comparison I know only of the Fedotov set on Carlton (Kirov Theatre Orchestra / Viktor Fedotov IMP Masters 30366 0006-7) and Rozhdesvtensky's double on BMG-Melodiya. I have heard the Fedotov but (as yet) not the Rozhdestvensky though I have a feeling the latter must be heard for his often wily and playful way with such music. The Naxos is the most recent recording and the brightness of the recording immediately commands attention. It is bright without the tiring glare of some recordings and is quite natural even when being driven hard by one of Glazunov's thumping climaxes. The fine sweep of the Introduction (1) is nicely done. Scene V (11) must have been mined for the violin concerto - the lie of the land is so familiar. The style of the music combines French accents (Delibes and Lalo) with Russian ones (Balakirev and Borodin). It is all extremely attractive if without the stunning impact of Tchaikovsky. Borodin is in fact a very good parallel stylistically and it will be remembered that Glazunov completed Borodin's third symphony and did it extremely well. The Pizzicato (14) is sweetly pointed and of course the Reprise de la Valse (15) is a luxury chocolate candy of crashing Tchaikovskian aspiration if not complete consummation. Scene VIII (23) is clearly a romantic marine-scape - deeply impressive and confounds the many nay-sayers who still deride Glazunov. Valse Fantastique (26) is alert and caringly phrased but rather Gallic than Russian though the balletic moments in Tchaik 5 do peep through the curtains. In Acts 2 and 3 the invention is not as resourceful although the level of postcard colour remains with Oriental and Hispanic dances. The Bacchanale (16) was seemingly written with knowledge of Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien and Wagner. A touch of Hungarian noblesse and dignified ribaldry is to be found in the Third Act (22) and the Lisztian csardas and Magyar Dallok may well have been a model. Inspiration runs higher in the oboe song of the hushed Pas Classique Hongrois. Rustic dances, flyaway textures and some decidedly Straussian (Johan or Eduard) galop-style music round out the Act. The Apotheosis last movement has not a few surprisingly Elgarian passages (32). This big score (look at the timing!) has its moments of frilly frivolity but there is much here to entertain and the high spots are there to be discovered. If the score sometimes reminds you that generations of film music composers (third to first rate) must have mined these scores for tunes and more it is still one to deliver considerable undemanding pleasure and surprise. The Seasons is Glazunov's best ballet score but the present one is Glazunov's approximation to Swan Lake. Ambitious in scale its achievement is modest overall but extremely successful in episodes. The notes are that strange phenomenon: in three languages and each language a different note. The 36 and 32 tracks are clearly listed but no attempt (thankfully) is made to describe the action for each track. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The Kremlin (which I first encountered in one of Leslie Head's St John's concerts with the Kensington SO in circa 1979) was written at about the time of the Oriental Rhapsody and the Third Symphony (both yet to come in this series). It is given an enthusiastic reception in this recording. The Popular Festival first movement is clearly a religious one and probably an Easter one given the similarity in mood with the Rimsky Russian Easter Festival Overture. It has everything: the mystery of the Russian Orthodox church and bell tolling mixed with processional and lively rhythmic material. It seemed rather close to Respighi's Church Windows without the Hollywood glow. The central cloisters section reeks of incense and echoes with chant. The mysticism of the movement is there but is not that of Scriabin in his loonier moments of deluded ambition. If you have heard Respighi's orchestration of the fifth of five Etudes-Tableaux you will generally know what to expect. The Entrance and Coronation of The Prince is relaxed - dressed in Rimskyian finery and played with splashy enthusiasm. If a touch of routine 'chug-chug' pacing begins to enter the proceedings we can put this down to Glazunov rather than the performers. At the climactic close Tchaikovsky does put in an appearance but it is the Tchaikovsky of Hamlet and Fatum rather than Romeo or Francesca. I am not aware of any other recordings currently available although I seem to recall a Colosseum LP with the Nuremberg SO conducted by Zsolt Deaky (memory may be at fault here). The Kremlin was not one of those works that attracted Melodiya during the 1960s and 1970s and as far as I know the present recording is either unique or one of very few. In The Middle Ages is a more concentrated and successful work. The Prelude broods and squawls in iron black clouds. This atmosphere is relieved at 3.35 by one of his tenderest tunes - so Russian - almost tipping over into Rachmaninov's second symphony. The Scherzo's strings zip along and Dies Irae puts in an appearance in the oboe part. The dark brass signature at 2.01 is decidedly Sibelian in Lemminkainen mood. Troubadours sings a sweet archaic song with a soft harp beating soft heart-beating. This is very attractive and memorable music on which Miklos Rózsa may well have dwelt in forming his own style. The Crusaders Finale is celebratory, ending in a cheerily autumnal march. Jarvi's competing 1980s Chandos sound was rich to the point of congestion; not a good quality in the case of Glazunov. Here the lucidity of the Naxos DDD recording pays off. A stronger work than it is given credit for. There are two Poèmes. The earlier is the better of the two. Lyrique's adagio tune is a possible progenitor of the great Rachmaninov second again, with its soft focus strings and fruity horns - the latter not prone to classic Russian warble (whatever happened to that - I rather liked it!). Most enjoyable. The very late Epique goes through the motions, basking in a warm theme of no great distinction and revelling, in a somewhat haphazard way, in some all-purpose Russian jollity. It did not have to be like this as his Saxophone Concerto (one of his very best works) of three years later amply testifies. The liner notes are again trilingual but each is different - a feast for linguists. Reviewer Rob Barnett
By 1911 Glazunov had all but a very few works behind him and inspiration or the compulsion to compose apparently dwindling. When he was approached to provide incidental music for this religious mystery play by Crown Prince Konstantin he must have seemed a retired composer though one of international eminence. Remember he travelled widely, conducting performances of his orchestral works in Britain (London but also provincial centres such as Bournemouth and Torquay), France and even as late as 21 November 1929 he directed the Detroit SO in his sixth symphony. Glazunov must have been possessed by his subject for this music is of consistent high quality. The pregnant tension of the Introduction and Chorus compels attention. The choir is the Moscow Capella whose rich evocation partakes of the candied intoxication of the Rachmaninov's Vespers - best sampled in the purely choral Song of the Disciples of Jesus. The Entr'Acte to Act II is a substantial meditation with Russian Easter Festival modality and a considerable romantic charge. The Trumpets of the Levites is brief but roundedly imperious and (coincidentally?) related to the music for Deep Space Nine! Wagnerian wave-smashing brass and gong strokes rattle through the Act II Conclusion. The Entr'Acte Act III scene 1 is redolent of the music for Hollywood Biblical epics long before the genre formed. One wonders again and again to what extent Hollywood composers drew on such scores for their 'inspiration'. The music is deeply imaginative. The Scene 2 Entr'acte rustles apocalyptically in Wagnerian accents at time close to Bruckner's 8th symphony. Grim fanfares echo and re-echo transforming to a ghost of jollity. The repetitive brass figure shows up some imperfections in the playing. The up-welling exoticism of Syrian Dance is clearly related to Rimsky's Russian Easter Festival and Sadko as well as coincidentally appearing to serve as an inspiration for Basil Poledouris's outstanding music for the two Conan films (the Bacchanale). There is some attractive but splashy woodwind playing in the Entr'acte Act IV. In the Musette a shepherd pipes in a blend of sadness and birdsong which continues into the orchestrally accompanied final Psalm of the Believers. The atmosphere is lightened by the risen birdsong of the flute. The closing pages have the brass snarling darkly. Setting to one side the choral segments (3) the music is essentially an Introduction, four Entr'Actes and a Syrian Dance. These items are at least six minutes long and in the case of the Introduction within hailing distance of ten minutes. I have not heard the feted recording on Chandos but may put that right at some point in which case I can revise this review. The words of the three choral tracks are given in English translation only in the booklet. The notes are again trilingual (the English ones are by Keith Anderson who also does the same service for vols 1 and 2) and a different author (French - Frédéric Castello; German - Teresa Pieschacón Raphael) provides different notes for each language. Despite being amongst the shortest of the playing times this music is both inspired and inspiring and the performance is by committed advocates of this composer. Reviewer Rob Barnett
Stenka was dedicated to Borodin and apart from a tune which, for me, rather defuses than heightens the wonder, this work rates very close to Balakirev's Tamar. The strings in the opening pages rise shivering and shuddering from the marshes. A sense of doom and a thumping ache are powerfully conveyed. The brass are delightfully squat and dark. The harp sweeps have one reminiscing about Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony and Rimsky in Sheherazade. At the final section the gale shrieks high through the 'voices' of the strings and woodwind and the 'Volga Boat Song' resonates in kitsch gaudiness above the tumult. Apart from that tune the only compromising quality was that the strings seemed under-nourished - perhaps a function of the recording or balance. The notes intriguingly refer to a proposal put by the great Chaliapin to Glazunov to write an opera on Stepan Razin in collaboration with Gogol. Nothing came of the idea. There are no Glazunov operas. Une Fête Slave is again redolent of Borodin and Balakirev and is a most joyous piece. There is some fine quiet playing. The work is one of a host of small orchestral sketches and genre pieces that flooded from Glazunov's pen during the period 1881-1915. The essay is an orchestration of the finale from the third string quartet. The Cortège Solennel is one of two, this being the earliest. It is by turns gracious, clear-eyed, skittish in its central section and the woodwind make a fine contribution though obviously tested to the edge. It is not specially solemn. The Fantasy - From Dark to Light sounds rather Lisztian (From the Cradle to the Grave - rather the reverse I suppose, but you can see where the inspiration may have come). The tremulous strings chart sombre territory. As the music progresses we seem to move from bereavement to joy in recollection. At 7.48 the downward stepping trombones mark a swinging into more hedonistic gear. It is however only fitfully engaging and was perhaps a sign that the candle was burning lower or only occasionally. Glazunov knows his box of tricks and takes them all out for a run but the engagement is just not there. It is a different matter in Nathan Rakhlin's apocalyptic rendering of the Fantasy on an ancient Melodiya (I have a tape not the original LP). Rakhlin seems to have been rather a good advocate of Glazunov as also is Boris Khaikhin neither of whose Melodiyas seem to have attracted the attention of the dedicated reissuers. The Mazurka is one of those orchestral dances. Gracious and a touch sentimental. It is nicely swung here with some great horn playing rising in a rough wave,. The March is relaxed and easily flowing with light-toned confidence and a touch of the slightly jokey edge that Korngold brought to his march sequence in the film music for The Adventures of Robin Hood. The piece ends in a nice helping of Russian shindig. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The second symphony is the work of a 21 year old already basking in national success soon to become international. This appeared in the same year as Richard Strauss's early tone poems Aus Italien and Macbeth, Delius's Florida Suite, D'Indy's Symphonie Cevennole, Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony, Lalo's Symphony and Franck's Violin Sonata. There is nothing in that list that would be at odds with Glazunov's approach to music. He is in touch with Rimsky and Borodin and Russian Nationalism rather than Tchaikovsky. I have not heard the 1970s Fedoseyev or the Chandos Polyansky of No. 2. The latter is likely to be quite a broad performance going by numbers 1, 4 and 5. Boris Khaikhin's EMI-Melodiya LP from the late 1960s is excellent but not transferred to CD. A pity as he is invigorating, passionate and poetic. A CD of his versions of symphonies 2 (USSRSO) and 3 (Moscow RSO) would be irresistible though the sound now will seem unsophisticated. Anissimov majors on the poetic rather than high drama. The sound quality is natural and communicative without the appearance of contrived studio glamour. The big andante is orientally 'aswoon' in the best tradition of Hollywood though here the tension seems a turn or two less than taut. The symphony is dedicated to Liszt as is the contemporaneous Saint-Saens symphony. The scherzo is uncannily close (in its woodwind writing) to the counterpart waterfall movement in Tchaikovsky's Manfred. The movement strikes me as dwelling too long on the beauties of the scenery rather than the urgency of the business in hand. The finale needs direction that is in closer touch with the pulse and forward drive rather than a tendency to broaden and languish. The Anissimov account is creditable and in places extremely accessible but going by the Khaikhin and Rozhdestevensky (Olympia) performances there is more to this work than he has articulated in this performance. The Seventh Symphony in contemporary with Elgar's Falstaff, Mahler Symphony No. 5, Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande, Novak's In the Tatras, Holbrooke's Queen Mab and Nielsen's Saul and David. The Glazunov stands in a different relationship to most of these works. By this time Glazunov had totally mastered his idiom but others were pressing ahead in different directions. There is little virtue in novelty alone and Glazunov 7 is a much stronger work than the second symphony and one to which Anissimov and the orchestra seem to warm. The opening allegro moderato positively effervesces with references to Beethoven's own Pastoral and this is as much a presence as Beethoven 5 is in Le Chant du Destin. The andante second movement seems rather academic after the lively first movement. The third movement scherzo flashes and flickers with activity at which the Moscow woodwind seem to labour hard. First class notes by Ates Orga. I wish that we heard more from him. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The Carnaval Overture is not the equal of the Dvorák. It has a rather Gallic and frothy character like the brilliant overture Le Cabaret by John Foulds (Lyrita) The central tune at 3.10 is touching. There is some electric playing at the end of the work amidst a tramping Russian peroration; the sort of thing at which Glazunov excelled. Spring basks in vernal sunshine with rays lazily cutting through the greenery. This is the gentlest of rhapsodies and a small step away from Bax's Spring Fire (a more grown up impressionistic work but one can see why Glazunov was rather revered by Bax). This is an idyllically lovely work - decidedly not the earthquake spring of Stravinsky's Sacre! Here we are more in the territory of early Roussel and D'Indy. The two concert waltzes are familiar fare although the second is not perhaps as familiar as it might be. Both rather reek of the grand hotel, crystal chandeliers and a certain aristocratic complacency. They now seem remarkably nostalgic. I wonder if they were ever danced to in a grand ball? The two Salome movements post-date Richard Strauss's opera. Strauss by the way was decried by Glazunov in no uncertain way as 'cet infâme scribouilleur'. The first movement introduction is portentous - infused with storm clouds and forboding - dark as the counterpart pages in Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony - first movement. The ghoulish magic has echoes in the pages of Mussorgsky's prophetic Night on the Bare Mountain. The Dance of the Seven Veils second movement sounds rather like Rimsky's Capriccio Espagnol. This is a seductive snake dance with cross-references to Borodin's Polovtsian Dances and Steppes of Central Asia. There is too some slatey dark work from the brass that recalls Bax's Second Symphony. No doubt this piece was known to Bax from a two piano version. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The first symphony is the work of a sixteen year old and for all its winsome linguistic indebtedness to Balakirev and Borodin it has an independent life of its own. With those Russian voices can also be heard Brahms. The scherzo on the other hand is awash with Polovtsi intoxication while the third movement andante runs Rachmaninov very close to one of his finest romantic conceptions. This is ironic given Glazunov's reputation as the conductor who wrecked the premiere of the Rachmaninov First Symphony which in turn threw Rachmaninov into the depression from which Dr Dahl (dedicatee of Rachmaninov's piano concerto No. 2) rescued him. The movement also has its Brahmsian moments and Borodin flavour. Brahmsian touches can also be heard in the last movement. There is in the present case just that ever so slightly compromising touch of lethargy that takes the final gleaming sheen of this performance. This is a pity given the excellence of the coupling. The fourth symphony (a work of high water maturity) comes off extremely well in this performance. Perhaps that long tune in the first movement, relished and rolled in slowest motion by the oboe, can take the Anissimov 'recipe' better. The tune ripples steadily with all the mystique of the Borodin-infused Orient and steppe loneliness. This is such a broad approach it even outstrips the expansive Polyansky on Chandos. It plays for more than a minute longer. However Anissimov brings this off with such passionate accents and a sense of yielding poetry. This is, as Bill and Ted might have said, a most excellent symphony and it is played to the hilt. The scherzo is 40 seconds longer than Polyansky and 12 seconds longer in the final movement (this is a three movement symphony). If the Naxos lacks the rush of blood of the old Nathan Rakhlin Melodiya LP it stands out as the strongest and most sensitive performance of the four symphonies I have so far heard in the Naxos cycle. The inspiration of Anissimov and the orchestra was touched off by this work and I shall begin to make greater claims for the work having heard this wondrous performance. Naturally recorded as are all the discs in this sequence I rate the recording of No. 4 as five star material. Wow! I can hardly wait for Anissimov in Numbers 6 and 8. I hope also that they will be let loose on the torso of No. 9. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The Scènes de Ballet is an extremely effective suite in the manner of Massenet's four orchestral suites. The first movement Préambule is hispanically furnished, Marionettes a touch of the toy music box; Mazurka vigorous; Scherzino spring-like with flashing strings and woodwind; Danse Orientale having occupied Tamara's territory; Valse reeking of Palm Court and a grand Polonaise redolent of the Prince Igor Overture to round things off. The Scène Dansante establishes itself initially as hauntingly Tchaikovskian but soon runs out of steam and becomes somewhat flat. Then comes one of Glazunov's most famous works. The Seasons is here channelled into 15 tracks. My recollection of competing recordings may be faulty but I did not find this the most compelling of performances despite the high expectations raised by Raymonda where Anissimov is again at the helm. There are some creditable passages and some much better (such as the magical flute work in the first tableau). The hail is well conjured. Spring is nicely pointed. Summer is most warmingly done and is a stand-out track with its fine high tune presented with finesse in all its finery. Definitely a three star performance as despite its imaginative points overall it seems too laid back by comparison with previous recordings by Khaikhin (wonderful if my memory serves aright) and Svetlanov. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The Finnish Fantasy is one of those landmark works in my discovery of Glazunov. I first became acquainted with it on a Melodiya LP - I wish I could recall whose the performance was. In any event it captured my attention immediately, combining Russian and Finnish spirit both of which already laid a strong hold on my musical interests. I always wondered about Glazunov's other Finnish works and it is only now that I have had the opportunity to uncover them. All three Finnish works dates from late in his career. The Fantasy seems to resonate with many influences - Tchaik 4 in the deep bassoon theme near the beginning, Brahms' St Anthony Chorale with the woodwind cooling the ardour of the strings, some lightly Sibelian moments, a touch of the doom-burdened brass of the Manfred Symphony (in Svetlanov's furnace of a performance on BMG-Melodiya) and a final Lutheran chorale to top things off. I am sorry to say that while there are many attractive moments the work did not live up to memories of that ancient Melodiya. I must try to track it down. There are two Finnish Sketches. The first is from the Kalevala evoking shepherds piping around a fire in a snowy waste or at a village celebration. The second sketch is a solemn processional. The Karelian Legend is a major work of 21 minutes duration. It is dedicated to a pupil of Rimsky, the Latvian composer Joseps Wihtol (I hope to review some Wihtol as soon as possible). The Sibelian accents are stronger here although they by no means predominate. Startlingly Delian cuckoo calls warm the chilly vistas (5.10) and some bardic and Slavonic brass rend the air in unusual warlike harshness. From the heights Glazunov winds down into woodland pastoral and those cuckoos again! A nice work - well worth getting to know. The Ouverture Solennelle is fluent and not especially solemn - rather serene with a touch of the salon about it. The cantering Wedding March is touched with Slavonic pomp. The cover portrait (not always used to best advantage in Naxos's trademark sleeve design) is easily the best of the sequence of ten volumes. It uses a ruddily gaudy woodland painting by the famous Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kalela. Reviewer Rob Barnett
The Song of Destiny is a dramatic overture dating from 1907 and in it and the Two Preludes on this disc Glazunov commands attention strongly. The Song uses the famous Fate theme from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and in a spirit of well-orchestrated gloom bites and strikes outwards and upwards. The atmosphere is very strong indeed and a far from obviously superior soul-mate would be Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead. One of his most powerful scores lit by Rimskian flashes. The Suite Caractéristiqe is an epic-scaled work spanning almost 38 minutes in eight movements. It has in the past been coupled with the Middle Ages Suite. Glazunov was rather good at these character pieces. Sometimes he hit gold at other times … well this suite is an example of one of his lower key inspirations - much too relaxed and low key. Highlights include the Intermezzo scherzando and a well-constructed innocent Pastorale. The Danse Orientale had already been established as a genre in Russia by the likes of Glinka and Balakirev and latterly Rimsky-Korsakov. This is another of the same ilk and good it is as well, rather in the spirit of Balakirev's First Symphony than Borodin's Polovtsian Dances. There is a reserved Tchaikovskian Elegie and a laid-back Cortège rather like the central section in Bax's 'flat beer' Coronation March. Despite some very nice work for high woodwind the final movement is not quite the satisfying conclusion it should be. Perhaps these lighter genre pieces suffer in the exalted company on this disc. Inspiration is certainly at work in the Stassoff Prelude. It is dignified, dark, fantastic (listen to the work for the high flutes) and sorrowing with a positively grown-up and angry sense of bereavement. The shudders in the music suggest that Glazunov had learnt lessons from the volcanic tumult of Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini. This is an excellent work in which Glazunov seems to be reaching out in new and possibly unnerving directions. It is well worth the modest price of the disc. A work too easy to overlook especially given its literal but plodding title. The same darkness that makes such an impact in the Stassoff work also drives the much longer Rimsky Prelude. If in this context we sometimes think of Waxman's music for The Bride of Frankenstein I think we can be forgiven. The Rimini-like fumaroles and convulsions are lightened by some oriental colouring presented with reserve and avoiding Glazunov's own earlier models. It is marked andante lugubre and lugubrious it is in the long central section. The conciseness of the first prelude certainly pays off but it is only a slight shading of preference. The woodwind and horns call out in the most affecting and fresh style at 11.21. After hearing the Naxos disc I went back to a tape of a Melodiya recording of the Moscow Great SO conducted by V. Yurovsky in the Two Preludes. There is a greater impact and let's face it a close-up blare in the Melodiya. The Russian brass are fruitier and as black as poisoned caviare. The Naxos recording is a very strong contender and the only game in sight however the somewhat unsubtle Melodiya is a powerhouse of a performance. The logic of this Naxos bargain price series and its interaction with the full price Marco Polo series is a matter of speculation. Many of the shorter orchestral works were included in Marco Polo's earliest LP releases and the counterpart CDs still coexist happily in the Marco Polo catalogue. At some stage I hope to sample those CDs and compare them with this much more recent Naxos series. The clean and distinctive Glazunov head and shoulders caricature which appears as a logo on the complete series is by John Minnion whose artwork is such a strength in the Thames book Composing Mortals a series of essential profiles of British composers. The present disc is (allowance being made for the undemanding and perhaps rather anodyne charms of the suite) among the strongest in the sequence of ten containing some most original music. Reviewer Rob Barnett
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Reviewer Rob Barnett
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