Glazunov's glass of vodka

[Roasted Swan]

A few days ago I listened for the first time to the least-known of Glazunov's three ballets, Les Ruses d'Amour (1900):



This one-act ballet is 55 minutes of sheer glittering delight! I would say it's almost as inspired as The Seasons, and generally more inspired than the lengthy Raymonda. Of particular note is the Grand pas des fiances with its beautiful, substantial solos for violin and cello. Discovering this work confirmed my opinion that a lot of Glazunov's finest work is contained in his ballets and other "free-form" works, where he doesn't feel constrained by elements like sonata form and counterpoint as he sometimes is in his symphonies, string quartets, etc. And the performance by the Romanian State Orchestra under Horia Andreescu completely exceeded my expectations - it's full of verve, color, and technical security. Which is fortunate since it's one of the few recordings of this work available! Thank goodness Naxos didn't use the Moscow SO under Igor Golovschin for this recording like they did in most of their other Glazunov releases. Any Glazunov fan needs to hear this delicious ballet which I've overlooked for too long!

Excellent shout for this work and the movement you highlight is glorious.  Don't know this Naxos version but the Svetlanov performance is suitably ardent!

[kyjo]

Like you, I wasn't taken by Raymonda as much as I would have liked. I haven't given Les Ruses d'Amour a listen yet, so it looks like it could be more promising.

The last Glazunov piece I heard was The King of the Jews from this recording:



Glazunov in religious mode and I must say he rather succeeded at it. There are several good moments, some of them imposing and of exotic nature, other more meditative. Not sure if it's top-drawer Glazunov, but it was worth my time.

Interesting, Cesar. I haven't heard The King of the Jews - must check it out!

[kyjo]

I don't know the Naxos/Romanian SO version but the old Svetlanov/USSR SO is old school idiomatic which I love.....

I have no doubt that it is! Soviet-style brass playing isn't really to my taste, though, and Svetlanov certainly had no inhibitions about "letting them rip"! Do give the Andreescu performance on Naxos a try - it completely exceeded my expectations.

[kyjo]

Listening now and it is wonderful! Everything you say here is true. First ever hearing but this is a total delight and one I'll return to. Thank you so much!

You're welcome, Brian! I'm already looking forward to returning to this endearingly delightful ballet as well. I wonder if Andrei knows this work? It's right up his alley!

[relm1]

I haven't heard much of Glazunov because frankly, he was overshadowed by his contemporaries but I thought this was fun and very Russian.

[Brian]

The String Quintet is such a masterpiece, I decided it was time to listen to the quartets.



This disc spans his whole career: No. 1 is his Op. 1! And No. 7 is Op. 107.

The First Quartet does sound like a student work, as it checks a variety of romantic era structural archetypes. (First movement allegro based on the same tune as the introduction: check. Fugal elements: check.) But it has an appealing lyricism and the melodies have a Russian flavor to them. The first movement's second subject seems genuinely "ethnic" or nationalist. Another plus: it's a short work, just over 20 minutes, and there's no excess to any of it. Short, pleasant, and well proportioned.

No. 7 is a half-hour piece in which three of four movements have pictorial subtitles: "Le souffle de printemps", "Dans la forêt mysterieuse", and "Festival Russe." Despite this and the long gap in years since No. 1, it's surprising how much similarity carries through: the simple, unaffected lyricism, the plainspoken rather than dense or intense writing, and the Slavic character. Around 4:05 and 7:45 in the first movement, I hear a resemblance to Beethoven's Second Symphony.

The gentle wistfulness of the "printemps" slow movement reminds me a bit of some of Glazunov's best slow movements, or the Dvorak Nocturne in B. The second half gradually picks up energy and romantic warmth, perhaps symbolizing spring itself. The mysterious forest is a fugato scherzo featuring pizzicatos and mutes, almost like Glazunov does Mendelssohn. The festival finale is not nearly as boisterous or energetic as the folk finale festivals in, say, his Fifth Symphony, but it is very charming and the main tune feels familiar. I love the all-pizzicato episode near the end.

My impression is that Glazunov was at his best mid-career, so this album was probably not the place to start on the string quartet cycle. But it was still enjoyable.



No. 2 is just Op. 10, but longer than the First at a half hour, and maybe a little more confident, not relying on tropes like the slow intro. I dug the first movement's quiet ending, which leads into a charming, festive scherzo. The piece is backloaded, with the last two movements being the longest and most important. The adagio is gorgeous.

Between 2 and 4, the Utrecht players give us a short Elegy from late in the composer's career. It weaves between major and minor keys, sincere and romantic and the most expressive music on either disc so far, but not exactly the most profound utterance ever.

Nominally in A minor, Quartet No. 4 is not really noticeably different for that. The minor key is used as a flavoring, rather than a dramatic or tragic impulse. The scherzo sounds very much like a finale - I couldn't explain why - so it is very surprising, after the decisive ending, that we still have a 10-minute final part left to go. The finale is in minor key for about 10 seconds, then returns to a joyful atmosphere similar to the scherzo. This gradually changes, and the development is alternately slow, pensive, and dramatic. By the time that the happy ending arrives, I'm fully convinced. Most successful individual movement so far.



No. 3 is nicknamed the Slavic or Slavonic in some sources, and it has a mazurka movement and giant 11-minute "Fête Slave" finale. The slowish introductory movement doles out hints of folk color and folk life slowly, mostly towards its end. The quartet really comes alive in its second half: the mazurka is a lot of fun, and the festival finale is, too.

No. 5 might be Glazunov's most conventional, Germanic romantic quartet. It is so in structure - D minor, slow intro - and language. The finale sounds much like a Mendelssohnian scherzo or finale.

The most satisfying disc overall.



No. 6 is Op. 106, just one opus number before No. 7, and it's the longest quartet of all at nearly 40 minutes. It's in a relaxed B flat, with a "rustic intermezzo" in lieu of a scherzo. There is some melancholy heart in the slow movement, though, and here I feel like I can imagine a composer regretting that modern trends had passed him by. The finale is a set of theme and variations, very "correct" in its construction. Again, however, there's not really a compelling narrative being told, whether emotional intellectual. It's just pleasant music.

The Novelettes are miniatures from Glazunov's youth, character light music depicting Spanish, Oriental, "modo antica," waltz, and Hungarian inspirations. They are pure fluff in the best possible way, with some of the composer's best tunes.

-

After completing the survey, I'd say that my prior suspicion was confirmed. Mid-career Glazunov is best Glazunov. Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are definitely the most interesting quartets, with maybe only 3 rising to the level of the String Quintet. But 2 has merit, and the Novelettes are jolly good fun. It's certainly all a nice listen.

A rival string quartet cycle recording project begins soon, with the Tippett Quartet on Naxos. I like the Utrecht players a lot, and of course MDG supplies excellent sound and cover paintings.

[vandermolen]

I haven't heard much of Glazunov because frankly, he was overshadowed by his contemporaries but I thought this was fun and very Russian.

The 8th is very good as well.

[Roasted Swan]

Today's dogwalk was accompanied by (as well as the obligatory RAIN!!!) this recording;



of Symphonies 5&6.  For me this was when Jarvi was still at his considerable best - plenty of gusto and fire and the playing both the German orchestras AND the engineering is excellent.  Both are trememndous works but No.5 for me epitomises the Russian Romantic Symphony.  Just so colourful and joyous - has there ever been as festive a finale in the great tradition of festive finales as No.5?!  When I went to grab the cover image above off Qobuz I noticed this whole set is currently on offer as a FLAC download for under £9 - tremendous value.