Glazunov Symphonies

[Bunny]

Glazunov was a fine composer, perhaps a little too productive for his own good. The extended, and indeed exhausting, Naxos series revealed that he wrote a great deal of lesser music. However, some of the symphonies and concertos are beautiful works, and a must for collectors of late romantic Russian orchestral music.



I'm afraid that of all the cycles hitherto released, the Polyansky is arguably the weakest. Neither can his orchestra measure up against the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (for BIS, also available at a good price now), nor the Royal Scottish National (for Warner, awaiting completion, under José Serebrier), nor indeed the Bamberg Symphony and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (under Neeme Järvi, for Orfeo) -  and the cavernous, mushy sound in my book renders the Polyansky instantly uncompetitive. No wonder Chandos wanted to get rid of it. The Naxos series (under Anissimov and Golovshin) was also rather poorly played and recorded.

My advice would be either to get the (expensive) Järvi, or wait for the also-excellent Serebrier to finish his cycle. Otaka OTOH isn't bad either.

The Serebrier is available at recession proof prices and the sound quality is excellent, so this is really a cycle for those interested to acquire. 

[Harry]

I have the Jarvi, must say I consider Glazunov to be entirely dispensable.  Too many notes, not enough ideas.

Really? Well that is a very harsh judgment I must say. Entirely dispensable? Really these words landed quite hard in my small country in Europe.
Too many notes huh. Did you see the scores in detail?  Not enough ideas, well I did not hear any of your works! I have the scores of all his symphonies, and I consider every note indispensable.
Of course you are entitled to have your opinion, but I think its beyond opinion to express such a opinion.
Jarvi is the conductor that brings out all the felicities in Glazunov whom I consider a first class composer, and a very good orchestrator.

[Harry]

Obviously not a composer who inspires much in the way of passion or devotion. Makes me wonder why there are so many recordings!

Maybe you should listen to the music, instead of letting your ears hang after what other people say.

[The new erato]

Of course you are entitled to have your opinion, but I think its beyond opinion to express such a opinion.

Certainly we are entitled to think a composer dispensable....one can't think everything indispensable.

[vandermolen]

I think that there is depth and a sense of tragedy in Symphony No 8 (my favourite) and a wonderfil wistful regret in the one movement fragment of Symphony No 9 (which I'm sorry that he never completed). I think that anyone who composed 'The Seasons' was a fine (if not great) composer. Former politician, Chelea FC fan and Classic FM DJ David Mellor is a great admirer of Glazunov - so he MUST be a great composer 

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Maybe you should listen to the music, instead of letting your ears hang after what other people say.

Life is short - I think I'll just let my ears hang, despite the risk that I might miss something good.

one can't think everything indispensable.

You can if you're Harry 

[The new erato]

You can if you're Harry 

I nearly said it, but since I'm a polite man, I didn't.

[Bunny]

I have the Jarvi, must say I consider Glazunov to be entirely dispensable.  Too many notes, not enough ideas.

Really? Well that is a very harsh judgment I must say. Entirely dispensable? Really these words landed quite hard in my small country in Europe.
Too many notes huh. Did you see the scores in detail?  Not enough ideas, well I did not hear any of your works! I have the scores of all his symphonies, and I consider every note indispensable.
Of course you are entitled to have your opinion, but I think its beyond opinion to express such a opinion.
Jarvi is the conductor that brings out all the felicities in Glazunov whom I consider a first class composer, and a very good orchestrator.

Too many notes?  Where have I heard that criticism before?  Ah yes:

Emperor Joseph II: Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.
Mozart: Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?

Amadeus

[Harry]

The remarks and comments about Glazunov where far from polite and extremely harsh, in that respect I was friendly as a innocent kitten.

[Harry]

I nearly said it, but since I'm a polite man, I didn't.

I hope you are not suggesting I am impolite Erato?

[The new erato]

I hope you are not suggesting I am impolite Erato?

Not at all, just that you have a certain tendency to think things indispensable that to many people, aren't.

And I don't find "too many notes" and "not enough ideas" very harsh criticism, and even quite accurate for at least some Glazunov works I've heard.

[nut-job]

Really? Well that is a very harsh judgment I must say. Entirely dispensable? Really these words landed quite hard in my small country in Europe.
Too many notes huh. Did you see the scores in detail?  Not enough ideas, well I did not hear any of your works! I have the scores of all his symphonies, and I consider every note indispensable.
Of course you are entitled to have your opinion, but I think its beyond opinion to express such a opinion.
Jarvi is the conductor that brings out all the felicities in Glazunov whom I consider a first class composer, and a very good orchestrator.

If you experience such emotion distress at the idea that someone thinks your favorite composers is boring I feel sorry for you indeed.

Too many notes?  Where have I heard that criticism before?  Ah yes:

Emperor Joseph II: Your work is ingenious. It's quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect.
Mozart: Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?

Amadeus

Of course I was alluding to the scene from Amadeus that you quote.   The fact that it was not true of Mozart doesn't mean the criticism isn't true of Glazunov.    Alexander, you're no Wolfgang Mozart.

[Bulldog]

I'm not familiar enough with the Glazunov symphonies to call them important.  However, all the recordings of them tell me that someone out there thinks they are highly rewarding.  Put another way, Harry has many comrades on this one.  One thing I do feel certain of - Glazunov is many steps higher than Dittersdorf.

[Daverz]

If you experience such emotion distress at the idea that someone thinks your favorite composers is boring I feel sorry for you indeed.

I think we could say the same thing for someone who impulsively enters a thread about music they find boring just to make sure we all know they find it boring.

[Dundonnell]

For me: Rozhdestvensky(on Olympia) in Nos. 1,2,4,5,7 and 8 and Butt(on ASV) in Nos. 3 and 6.

Ok, the Olympia sound is not as good as in more modern recordings but I think that Glazunov deserves the authentic Russian treatment.

In saying that I have to admit that he is not a composr I go back to all that often. Good but not great music, in my opinion.

[nut-job]

I think we could say the same thing for someone who impulsively enters a thread about music they find boring just to make sure we all know they find it boring.

You feel sorry for me because I impulsively wrote that I find Glazunov boring?  Why, pray tell? 

[Daverz]

You feel sorry for me because I impulsively wrote that I find Glazunov boring?  Why, pray tell? 

Now you're just boring me.   

[Harry]

If you experience such emotion distress at the idea that someone thinks your favorite composers is boring I feel sorry for you indeed.

Feel sorry for yourself and leave me out..

[nut-job]

Feel sorry for yourself and leave me out..

A bit testy, aren't we?  Maybe lay off the espresso and try a nice Sambucco.

[The new erato]

Strange to see all this bickering about a composer that clearly arent' among the greats, but where I well can understand that somebody likes him (he's not my cup of tea -  but I definitely like many figures as marginal, or even more marginal, than Glazunov); as well as understand that a criticism of "too few ideas" is valid. The violin concerto is very fine though, but I haven't found anything else to match it.

Most composers has both adherents and detractors, but while I feel that the burden of proof is heavy on one criticizing Bach or Mozart, I think that an indifference to Glazunov isn't anything going to war about. Leave it folks, move on, there's nothing to see......