Alexander Glazunov

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Aleksandr Konstantinovich Glazunov (Russian: Александр Константинович Глазунов, Aleksandr Konstantinovič Glazunov; French: Glazounov; German: Glasunow; August 10, 1865 – March 21, 1936) was a major Russian composer, as well as an influential music teacher.

Glazunov was born in St Petersburg. He studied music under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, at the recommendation of Mily Balakirev, whom he had met at the age of 14.

The first of his nine symphonies premiered in 1882 when Glazunov was 16 years old. His popular symphonic poem Stenka Razin also stems from that period. His work started to become well known both in Russia and beyond, due partly to the advocacy of Franz Liszt.

Following his conducting debut in 1888, he was appointed conductor for the Russian Symphony Concerts series in 1896. In 1897, he was the conductor at the disastrous premiere of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No 1. This failed utterly at its first attempt, partly because Glazunov seemed to be drunk at the time.

In 1899, Glazunov became a professor at the St Petersburg School of Music, and later its director, where he remained until the events of 1917. After the end of World War I, he was instrumental in the reorganization of the Leningrad Conservatory.

Glazunov left Russia in 1928. He toured Europe and the United States, and settled in Paris, where he died. He always claimed that the reason for his continued departure from Russia was "ill health"; this enabled him to remain a respected composer in the Soviet Union, unlike Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff, who had left for other reasons.

He came to be acknowledged as a great prodigy in his field, and with the help of his mentor and friend Rimsky-Korsakov, finished some of Alexander Borodin's great works, the most famous being the opera Prince Igor, including the popular Polovetsian Dances. He reconstructed the overture from memory, having heard it played only once.

For one account of Shostakovich's impressions and interaction with Glazunov, see Solomon Volkov's Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovitch, 25th Anniversary ed., Limelight editions, New York, 2004.

His most popular works nowadays are the ballets The Seasons and Raymonda, some of his later symphonies, particularly the 4th, 5th and 6th, and his two Concert Waltzes. His last work, the Saxophone Concerto (1934), showed his ability to adapt to Western fashions in music at that time. The earlier rebellions of the experimental, serialist and minimalist movements passed him by and he never shied away from the polished manner he had perfected at the turn of the century.

Glazunov wrote three ballets; nine symphonies and many other orchestral works; five concertos (2 for piano; 2 for violin; one for saxophone); seven string quartets; two piano sonatas and other piano pieces; miscellaneous instrumental pieces; and some songs.

[edit] Complete List of Works

Opus 1: String Quartet No. 1 in D major (1881-1882)

Opus 2: Suite on the Theme "S-A-C-H-A" for Piano (1883)

Opus 3: Overture No. 1 in G minor for orchestra "On Greek Themes" (1882)

Opus 4: "Five Romances" Songs (1882-1885)

Opus 5: Symphony No. 1 in E major "Slavonian Symphony" (1881-1884)

Opus 6: Overture No. 2 in D major for orchestra (1883)

Opus 7: Serenade No. 1 in A major for orchestra (1882)

Opus 8: To the Memory of a Hero, elegy for orchestra (1885)

Opus 9: Suite Characteristique in D major for orchestra (1884-1887)

Opus 10: String Quartet No. 2 in F major (1884)

Opus 11: Serenade No. 2 in F major for small orchestra (1884)

Opus 12: "Poème Lyrique" in D-flat major for orchestra (1884-1887)

Opus 13: Stenka Razin, symphonic poem in B minor (1885)

Opus 14: "Two Pieces" for orchestra (1886-1887)

Opus 15: "Five Novelettes" for String Quartet (1886)

Opus 16: Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp minor "To the Memory of Liszt" (1886)

Opus 17: "Elegy" in D-flat major for cello and piano (1888)

Opus 18: "Mazurka" in G major for orchestra (1888)

Opus 19: The Forest, fantasy in C-sharp minor for orchestra (1887)

Opus 20: "Two Pieces" for cello and orchestra (1887-1888)

Opus 21: Marriage March in E-flat major for orchestra (1889)

Opus 22: Two Pieces for Piano (1889)

Opus 23: Watzes on the name S-A-B-E-L-A for piano (1990)

Opus 24: "Rêverie" in D-flat major for horn and piano (1890)

Opus 25: Preludium and Two Mazurkas for piano (1888)

Opus 26: String Quartet No. 3 in G major "Quatuor Slave" (1886-1888)

Opus 26A: Slavonian Feast, symphonic sketches

Opus 27: Two Songs after Pushkin (1887-1890)

Opus 28: The Sea, fantasy in E major for orchestra (1889)

Opus 29: Oriental Rhapsody in G major for orchestra (1889)

Opus 30: The Kremlin, symphonic picture in three parts (1890)

Opus 31: Three Etudes for piano (1891)

Opus 32: "Meditation" in D major for violin and orchestra (1891)

Opus 32A: "Meditation" in D major for violin and piano (1891)

Opus 33: Symphony No. 3 in D major (1890)

Opus 34: The Spring, symphonic picture in D major (1891)

Opus 35: Suite in C major for string quartet (1887-1891)

Opus 36: Small Waltz in D major for piano (1892)

Opus 37: Nocturne in D-flat major for piano (1889)

Opus 38: "In Modo Religioso", quartet for trumpet, horn and two trombones (1892)

Opus 39: String Quintet in A major for string quartet and cello (1891-1892)

Opus 40: Triumph March for large orchestra and chorus (1892)

Opus 41: Large Concert Waltz in E-flat major for piano (1893)

Opus 42: Three Miniatures for piano (1893)

Opus 43: Salon Waltz in C major for piano (1893)

Opus 44: Elegy for viola and piano (1893)

Opus 45: Carnaval, overture for large orchestra and organ in F major (1892)

Opus 46: Chopiniana, suite for orchestra after piano pieces by Chopin (1893)

Opus 47: Concert Waltz No. 1 in D major for orchestra (1893)

Opus 48: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major (1893)

Opus 49: Three Pieces for piano (1894)

Opus 50: Cortège Solennel in D major for orchestra (1894)

Opus 51: Concert Waltzes No. 2 in F major for orchestra (1894)

Opus 52: Scenes de Ballet, suite, not intended as dance piece (1894)

Opus 53: Fantasy From Dark into Light for orchestra (1894)

Opus 54: Two Impromptus for piano (1895)

Opus 55: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major (1895)

Opus 56: Coronation Cantata for four soloists, chorus and orchestra (1895)

Opus 57: Raymonda, ballet in three acts (1898)

Opus 58: Symphony No. 6 in C minor (1896)

Opus 59: Six Songs for middle voice (1898)

Opus 60: Six songs (romances to poetry of Aleksandr Pushkin and Apollon Maikov) for high voice (1897-1898) ([1])

Opus 61: Ruses d'Amour AKA The Trial of Damis AKA Lady Soubrette, ballet in one act (1900)

Opus 62: Prelude and Fugue in D minor, for piano (1899)

Opus 63: Festive Cantata for solo-voices, women's chorus and two pianos eight hands (1898)

Opus 64: String Quartet No. 4 in A minor (1894)

Opus 65: Cantata after Pushkin for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (1899)

Opus 66: Hymn after Pushkin for women's chorus and piano (1899)

Opus 67: The Seasons, ballet in one act (1900)

Opus 68: "Pas de Caractère" from "Raymonda" in G major for orchestra (1899)

Opus 69: Intermezzo Romantica in D major for orchestra (1900)

Opus 70: String Quartet No. 5 in D minor (1898)

Opus 71: Chant du Ménestrel for cello and piano (1900) (a version exists for cello and orchestra)

Opus 72: Theme and Variations in F-sharp minor for piano (1900)

Opus 73: Solemn Overture for orchestra (1900)

Opus 74: Piano Sonata No. 1 in B-flat minor (1901)

Opus 75: Piano Sonata No. 2 in E minor (1901)

Opus 76: March on a Russian Theme in E-flat major (1901)

Opus 77: Symphony No. 7 "Pastorale" in F major (1902-1903)

Opus 78: Ballade in F major for orchestra (1902)

Opus 79: From the Middle Ages, suite in E major for orchestra (1902)

Opus 80: Chant Sans Bornes for soprano and alto with piano accompaniment (1900)

Opus 81: Dance-Scene in A major for orchestra (1904)

Opus 82: Concerto in A minor for violin and orchestra (1904)

Opus 83: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major (1905-1906)

Opus 84: The Song of Destiny, dramatic overture in D minor for orchestra (1908)

Opus 85: Two Preludes for orchestra (1906)

Opus 86: Russian Fantasy in A major for balalaika-orchestra (1906)

Opus 87: To the Memory of Gogol, symphonic prologue in C major (1909)

Opus 88: Finnish Fantasy in C major for orchestra (1909)

Opus 89: Finnish Sketches in E major for orchestra (1912)

Opus 90: Introduction and Dance of Salomé to the drama of Oscar Wilde (1908)

Opus 91: "Cortège Solennel" in B-flat major for orchestra (1910)

Opus 92: Concerto No. 1 in F minor for piano and orchestra (1910-1911)

Opus 93: Preludium and Fugue No. 1 in D major for organ (1906-1907)

Opus 94: Love after Shukovsky for mixed chorus a cappella (1907)

Opus 95: Music to the drama The King of the Jews after K.K. Romanov (1913)

Opus 96: Paraphrase on the Hymn of the Allies for orchestra (1914-1915)

Opus 97: Song of the Volga-skippers for chorus and orchestra (1918)

Opus 98: Preludium and Fugue No. 2 in D minor for organ (1914)

Opus 99: Karelian Legend in A minor for orchestra (1916)

Opus 100: Concerto No. 2 in B major for piano and orchestra (1917)

Opus 100A/B: Mazurka Oberek (1917) for violin and orchestra or piano (1917)

Opus 101: Four Preludes and Fugues for piano (1918-1923)

Opus 102: Romance of Nina from the play "Masquerada" (1918)

Opus 103: Idylle in F-sharp major for piano (1926)

Opus 104: Fantasy in F minor for two pianos (1919-1920)

Opus 105: Elegy in D minor for string quartet in memory of M. P. Belaieff (1928)

Opus 106: String Quartet No. 6 in B-flat major (1920-1921) (Listings with details about opp. 105 and 106)

Opus 107: String Quartet No. 7 in C major "Hommage au passé" (1930)

Opus 108: Concert Ballade in C major for cello and orchestra (1931)

Opus 109: Saxophone Quartet in B-flat major (1932)

Opus 109: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra in E-flat major (1934) (same opus number as quartet, but different work [2])

Opus 110: Fantasy in G minor for organ (1934-1935)

• Works without opus number:

"Albumblatt" for trumpet and piano (1899)

Symphony No. 9 in D minor (1910)

First movement (incomplete).

[edit] See also

• Category:Compositions by Alexander Glazunov

[edit] External links

• More Complete List of Works
• Free Public Domain Scores by Glazunov at IMSLP
• Link to music - Chant du menestrel, Op. 71 recording from Musopen.

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