Glazunov's glass of vodka

[Duke Bluebeard]

I never cared much about the Serebrier cycle of the Glazunov symphonies (and other orchestral works and concerti). My go-to cycles are Rozhdestvensky and Svetlanov. Serebrier treats this music like it's Dvořák.

[Daverz]

Recently compared Jarvi and Walter Weller in Symphony No. 5

Jarvi seems a bit brusque and impatient compared to Weller.  Weller's slower tempos bring out the lyricism of the music.  The Basel orchestra plays beautifully, with more character than the Bavarians, and the recording is also much better.

I can't find the Weller streaming.



Weller has also recorded No. 5 with the Belgium Philharmonic for Fuga Libera, and that one is on YT.

[Roasted Swan]

Prompted by the discussion of Symphony 5 above - a shout-out for this version (which I have previously praised) - quite a broad heroic version - very well played and recorded.  Butt recorded quite a bit for ASV and his Glazunov - only Symphonies 3/4/5/6 - are well regarded.  He also had a PhD in Chemistry!

[Duke Bluebeard]

Prompted by the discussion of Symphony 5 above - a shout-out for this version (which I have previously praised) - quite a broad heroic version - very well played and recorded.  Butt recorded quite a bit for ASV and his Glazunov - only Symphonies 3/4/5/6 - are well regarded.  He also had a PhD in Chemistry!

Poor guy. Can you imagine a question being asked by an orchestra musician in a rehearsal: "Excuse me, Maestro Butt. In measure 20, are those quintuplets?"

[Spotted Horses]

Prompted by the discussion of Symphony 5 above - a shout-out for this version (which I have previously praised) - quite a broad heroic version - very well played and recorded.  Butt recorded quite a bit for ASV and his Glazunov - only Symphonies 3/4/5/6 - are well regarded.  He also had a PhD in Chemistry!

It's a shame that ASV was acquired by Universal but very little of the ASV catalog is available or has been reissued.

[vandermolen]

It's a shame that ASV was acquired by Universal but very little of the ASV catalog is available or has been reissued.

Alto have released some ASV material.

[vandermolen]

I never cared much about the Serebrier cycle of the Glazunov symphonies (and other orchestral works and concerti). My go-to cycles are Rozhdestvensky and Svetlanov. Serebrier treats this music like it's Dvořák.

I like this inexpensive set:

[Duke Bluebeard]

I like this inexpensive set:

Oh yes, that's a good one, too. Fedoseyev has many fine recordings under his belt.

[foxandpeng]

I like this inexpensive set:

I also enjoy this set. And the Naxos Anissimov symphonies, which have the advantage of being my only owned cycle for many years.

[Roasted Swan]

Oh yes, that's a good one, too. Fedoseyev has many fine recordings under his belt.

to be fair I don't know that cycle but I must say I find Fedoseyev too often to be a too 'safe' conductor.  Nothing to offend but little to thrill...  That said, it was his older Moscow RSO recording of Glazunov 5 that made me fall in love with that symphony.....

[Roasted Swan]

Continuing my Butt/Glazunov retrospective onto



Annother tremendous recording - this time the LSO playing with all the opulent swagger this music demands.  The coupling of an extended selection from the Ballet Raymondas is both sensible and very appealing.  I like the way the principal trumpet at one point employs a quasi-Soviet vibrato - very idiomatic and absolutely on point.  I think Symphony 6 is near the top of my favourite Glazunov Symphony list anyway and this performance certainly reinforces that opinion......

[Jo498]

Prompted by the discussion of Symphony 5 above - a shout-out for this version (which I have previously praised) - quite a broad heroic version - very well played and recorded.  Butt recorded quite a bit for ASV and his Glazunov - only Symphonies 3/4/5/6 - are well regarded. He also had a PhD in Chemistry!

Shouldn't that predispose him to Borodin's music rather than Glazunov's?

[Brian]

Next week, my favorites, Nos. 4-6.

No. 4 has a longish, flowing first movement that combines slow introduction and allegro in a seemingly rather fluid way. I wish the main tune was a little more memorable, but that isn't a problem in the absolutely wonderful scherzo. The finale is much like the first movement in its form - so although the piece does not have a slow movement, it has two slow introductory episodes - but Glazunov quickly shakes off any remaining slumber and launches into another wonderful Russian nationalist celebratory festival of a finale. It's exultant, brassy, and fun. The whole symphony bends in an arc, not really a dramatic arc, but a descriptive one, from relative slumber and calm to final triumph.

Now we come to maybe Glazunov's most ambitious symphony even though it is also one of the shortest: No. 5. There is real tightness to the themes of the first three movements, all of which share a common rhythmic underpinning so they sound like variations or inversions of the same tune. Then the finale presents something like five themes all of its own, again all based on the same rhythmic basis so that they can be combined in intricate interlocking ways.

That's the dry description. The fun one is: this is a party! Ridiculously outgoing, with a flute-and-piccolo driven scherzo, the symphony is an entertaining ride. This performance of the slow movement made me wonder if there is something "more" there, as it's a bit of a dead spot. (My favorite is the live Alexander Lazarev on a Japanese label.) True, the first movement's finish is a little too earnest ("look, I combined the themes!!"), but...then we have to talk about the finale.

This is one of my favorite finales from any romantic symphony. It is a 6:30 bullet train ride, where you start at a breakneck tempo, introduce tune after tune, they're all great, and then when it's time to recapitulate, they all start dancing with each other and combining until the whole thing just frikkin' blasts off into space. It's so high energy and so ingeniously plotted, it kinda blows the whole rest of the symphony away. In fact, the whole rest of the cycle away, for me. It's like 100% pure dopamine hit. So great.

No. 6 is coming in for a second listen, after it blew me away on a recent road trip with its big brassy energy. It's Glazunov's first excursion to minor keys since No. 2, and after a brooding intro, the first movement is a Sturm-und-Drang whirlwind. The melodies aren't top-tier memorable, but they're only one tier down, pretty good for Glazunov and his goal of stirring up drama. The second movement is a theme and variations, on a tune that initially calms the temperature and has a gentle echo of Russian religious music. In fact, the minor-key drama is never coming back. The later variations start to move to a more scherzo-like character...and then comes the actual scherzo. The finale is in jubilant C major pretty much all the way, and is the most Russian-feeling section. Thematically, a little similar to the finale of 5, but that's not a bad thing. The only real surprise is the coda, which introduces a fugal episode that attempts near-Pomp and Circumstance dignity. At least for a little bit.

The reason this hasn't caught on as a favorite is its form - there's no real narrative reason for one part of the symphony to follow the last, or for it to start in minor, except that it all sounds good. But...it all sounds really good! Very entertaining.

No. 7 is called "Pastoral" and is in the same key as Beethoven's Pastoral. The similarities continue at the very beginning, which is a clear and deliberate evocation of Beethoven's opening. But then, at about 0:35, Glazunov pulls the rug out from under you: that was just a slow introduction for a woodwind-driven main allegro, with a secondary tune that sounds almost march-like (the step, not the month). By the ending, the pounding timpani are suggesting a return to the Russian nationalist style, before Glazunov wittily cuts them off and goes back to the "pastoral" intro.

The slow movement starts with that least Beethoveny of ensembles: a brass chorale. We've got a lament on our hands! Maybe a bird died. Sorry; I shouldn't joke; it's very well done, including a slow muted string fugato. Chirping winds and glittering triangle return in the vibrant scherzo, and the finale is yet another vibrant cheery folk festival celebration. There's a tune in there that sounds a little like Mahler (the tune, not the development or orchestration), and the ending is the kind of big, brassy, drummy ending that that coward Beethoven shied away from. 

This brings us to the weirdest and wildest of Glazunov's symphonies, No. 8. I don't know too many other symphonies that start with a tuba blat. The atmosphere created at the start, the accompaniment before the main tune arrives, is the most adventurous music in the cycle so far, almost Wagnerian. Then, unfortunately, the theme turns out to be a pretty simplistic five-note motto that sounds more like Schumann. The whole first movement shows this tension between old-fashioned ways and newer styles.

Then we get to the fun stuff. The two inner movements remind me of Elgar's Second! There's a heavy, brassy, thumping funeral march, followed by a wild scherzo that combines all sorts of moods helter-skelter. I've never heard another piece where the two most prominent instruments are viola and triangle! From one second to the next, you don't know what's going to happen.

The finale returns to a more solemn, traditional mindset, with slow intro, fugal episode, and return of a transfigured version of the five-note motto theme, now ready to be repeated several dozen times on the way to a triumphant ending. It's odd that the composer went about the outer movements in such a formulaic fashion while the inner ones are so deeply strange and modern. Maybe not a "successful" symphony because of that tension, but a very very interesting one. And if you like the motto theme better than I did, you will like the symphony better, too, since it is played so often.

Finally, there's the rather tragic one-movement stump of the unfinished No. 9, which starts with an ambiguous major/minor keyed theme that starts in the violas and works its way upward. At the end of the allegro, when this theme returns, its tragic overtones are clear and the idea that it was ever ambiguous seems like a false memory. Though the musical language was becoming rather too conservative for its time, the overall effect is haunting and rather beautiful.

Though I am not qualified to compare this cycle to the others on offer, the Scottish brass - with their big emphatic sound - are a huge plus to the performances. I wish that Lazarev disc was more easily available...

favorites: 5, 7
rewarding listens: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9
flawed, but certainly still enjoyable for the ears: 1, 3

[Roasted Swan]

No. 4 has a longish, flowing first movement that combines slow introduction and allegro in a seemingly rather fluid way. I wish the main tune was a little more memorable, but that isn't a problem in the absolutely wonderful scherzo. The finale is much like the first movement in its form - so although the piece does not have a slow movement, it has two slow introductory episodes - but Glazunov quickly shakes off any remaining slumber and launches into another wonderful Russian nationalist celebratory festival of a finale. It's exultant, brassy, and fun. The whole symphony bends in an arc, not really a dramatic arc, but a descriptive one, from relative slumber and calm to final triumph.

Now we come to maybe Glazunov's most ambitious symphony even though it is also one of the shortest: No. 5. There is real tightness to the themes of the first three movements, all of which share a common rhythmic underpinning so they sound like variations or inversions of the same tune. Then the finale presents something like five themes all of its own, again all based on the same rhythmic basis so that they can be combined in intricate interlocking ways.

That's the dry description. The fun one is: this is a party! Ridiculously outgoing, with a flute-and-piccolo driven scherzo, the symphony is an entertaining ride. This performance of the slow movement made me wonder if there is something "more" there, as it's a bit of a dead spot. (My favorite is the live Alexander Lazarev on a Japanese label.) True, the first movement's finish is a little too earnest ("look, I combined the themes!!"), but...then we have to talk about the finale.

This is one of my favorite finales from any romantic symphony. It is a 6:30 bullet train ride, where you start at a breakneck tempo, introduce tune after tune, they're all great, and then when it's time to recapitulate, they all start dancing with each other and combining until the whole thing just frikkin' blasts off into space. It's so high energy and so ingeniously plotted, it kinda blows the whole rest of the symphony away. In fact, the whole rest of the cycle away, for me. It's like 100% pure dopamine hit. So great.

No. 6 is coming in for a second listen, after it blew me away on a recent road trip with its big brassy energy. It's Glazunov's first excursion to minor keys since No. 2, and after a brooding intro, the first movement is a Sturm-und-Drang whirlwind. The melodies aren't top-tier memorable, but they're only one tier down, pretty good for Glazunov and his goal of stirring up drama. The second movement is a theme and variations, on a tune that initially calms the temperature and has a gentle echo of Russian religious music. In fact, the minor-key drama is never coming back. The later variations start to move to a more scherzo-like character...and then comes the actual scherzo. The finale is in jubilant C major pretty much all the way, and is the most Russian-feeling section. Thematically, a little similar to the finale of 5, but that's not a bad thing. The only real surprise is the coda, which introduces a fugal episode that attempts near-Pomp and Circumstance dignity. At least for a little bit.

The reason this hasn't caught on as a favorite is its form - there's no real narrative reason for one part of the symphony to follow the last, or for it to start in minor, except that it all sounds good. But...it all sounds really good! Very entertaining.

No. 7 is called "Pastoral" and is in the same key as Beethoven's Pastoral. The similarities continue at the very beginning, which is a clear and deliberate evocation of Beethoven's opening. But then, at about 0:35, Glazunov pulls the rug out from under you: that was just a slow introduction for a woodwind-driven main allegro, with a secondary tune that sounds almost march-like (the step, not the month). By the ending, the pounding timpani are suggesting a return to the Russian nationalist style, before Glazunov wittily cuts them off and goes back to the "pastoral" intro.

The slow movement starts with that least Beethoveny of ensembles: a brass chorale. We've got a lament on our hands! Maybe a bird died. Sorry; I shouldn't joke; it's very well done, including a slow muted string fugato. Chirping winds and glittering triangle return in the vibrant scherzo, and the finale is yet another vibrant cheery folk festival celebration. There's a tune in there that sounds a little like Mahler (the tune, not the development or orchestration), and the ending is the kind of big, brassy, drummy ending that that coward Beethoven shied away from. 

This brings us to the weirdest and wildest of Glazunov's symphonies, No. 8. I don't know too many other symphonies that start with a tuba blat. The atmosphere created at the start, the accompaniment before the main tune arrives, is the most adventurous music in the cycle so far, almost Wagnerian. Then, unfortunately, the theme turns out to be a pretty simplistic five-note motto that sounds more like Schumann. The whole first movement shows this tension between old-fashioned ways and newer styles.

Then we get to the fun stuff. The two inner movements remind me of Elgar's Second! There's a heavy, brassy, thumping funeral march, followed by a wild scherzo that combines all sorts of moods helter-skelter. I've never heard another piece where the two most prominent instruments are viola and triangle! From one second to the next, you don't know what's going to happen.

The finale returns to a more solemn, traditional mindset, with slow intro, fugal episode, and return of a transfigured version of the five-note motto theme, now ready to be repeated several dozen times on the way to a triumphant ending. It's odd that the composer went about the outer movements in such a formulaic fashion while the inner ones are so deeply strange and modern. Maybe not a "successful" symphony because of that tension, but a very very interesting one. And if you like the motto theme better than I did, you will like the symphony better, too, since it is played so often.

Finally, there's the rather tragic one-movement stump of the unfinished No. 9, which starts with an ambiguous major/minor keyed theme that starts in the violas and works its way upward. At the end of the allegro, when this theme returns, its tragic overtones are clear and the idea that it was ever ambiguous seems like a false memory. Though the musical language was becoming rather too conservative for its time, the overall effect is haunting and rather beautiful.

Though I am not qualified to compare this cycle to the others on offer, the Scottish brass - with their big emphatic sound - are a huge plus to the performances. I wish that Lazarev disc was more easily available...

favorites: 5, 7
rewarding listens: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9
flawed, but certainly still enjoyable for the ears: 1, 3

excellent insightful survey!!