Glazunov: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 7

COMPOSERS: Glazunov
LABELS: Warner
ALBUM TITLE: Glazunov
WORKS: Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 7
PERFORMER: Royal Scottish National Orchestra/

José Serebrier
CATALOGUE NO: 2564-63236-2

Few would rank Glazunov among



the great symphonists, yet his



skilful reformulations of ‘Russian



Nationalist’ nostrums contain



almost unfailingly attractive



music and are always admirably



well-crafted. In No.4, dedicated



to Anton Rubinstein, he felt he



had attained a more cosmopolitan



language, less parochially Russian.



Few commentators have concurred



(but note the piercing reminiscence



of Tristan at 11:40 into the first



movement!). Formally the work



is modestly innovative: its three



movements are held together by a



motto theme,and though it has a central scherzo it dispenses with any



slow movement; Glazunov makes



up with soulful slow passages in the



outer ones.



No. 7 (1900-01) is sometimes



dubbed the Pastoral, for the first



movement’s resemblances to



Beethoven in key and cut of melody.



It too is shyly unorthodox in form,



the exciting finale having only one



theme of its own and otherwise



using contrapuntal combination and



variation of the subjects of the other



three movements.



This movement especially



displays Glazunov’s magnificent



technique, while the impressive



slow movement is one of his most



beautiful and deeply-felt inspirations.



Altogether this is a beautiful and



enlivening work, especially in



Serebrier’s sympathetic and vigorous



performance, which has no current



competitors.



No. 4 (coupled with No. 5)



is available on ASV in a sturdy



performance by the Philharmonia



conducted by Yondani Butt, and



a sonically plusher version by



Polyansky with the Russian State SO



on Chandos; but Serebrier, helped by



the more energized-sounding playing



of the RSNO, probes deeper into



the music and makes the score much



more characterful and colourful



than either of his rivals. This is a



very useful issue.



Calum MacDonald