The USSR Symphony Orchestra owes its success largely to Evgeni Svetlanov, its artistic director, Lenin prize winner, USSR People's Artist, Hero of Socialist Labour — a gifted versatile musician, talented conductor, composer and pianist. For several years Svetlanov had a position with the All-Union Radio Orchestra, later taking over the USSR Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. With Russian classics in the focus of his attention (his repertoire includes all of Russian music) Svetlanov constantly tackles works of different styles. Evgeni Svetlanov's name is well known all over the world.
The USSR Symphony Orchestra owes its success largely to Evgeni Svetlanov, its artistic director, Lenin prize winner, USSR People's Artist, Hero of Socialist Labour — a gifted versatile musician, talented conductor, composer and pianist. For several years Svetlanov had a position with the All-Union Radio Orchestra, later taking over the USSR Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. Evgeni Svetlanov's name is well known all over the world.
Yevgeny Svetlanov died on 3 May 2002. This outstanding Russian conductor, master of an enormous repertoire, had built up an especially fruitful relationship with the two Radio France orchestras in the last few years of his life. Hence it is only natural that Radio France, with the fourth title of its new series, should wish to pay tribute to this key figure of the Russian school of conducting.
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936), by virtue of his dates and the fact that he continued to compose into the 1930s, only narrowly qualifies for inclusion in a series devoted to 20th century music. Musically his style looks back to the previous century when Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin held sway in Imperial Russia. At that time Glazunov represented an effective bridge between their nationlist tendencies and the more cosmopolitan outlook of Tchaikovsky.
Symphony No.3 (Op.33, 1890) is the only lyrical symphony in A. Glazunov's heritage. Its genre peculiarity reveals itself already in dedication to P. Tchaikovsky, one of the teachers of the composer, whose influence is felt both in the compositional structure of the whole cycle and in its separate parts. One can trace a certain analogy with Symphony No.4 by P. Tchaikovsky. The interpretation of Symphony No.3 by A. Glazunov given on this CD suggests the same idea.
A. Glazunov's Symphony No.8 (Op.83,1906) is his last one and "the most perfect one", says Evgeni Svetlanov. The Symphony is full of meditations of essence of life and existence of all alive.
At the end of the score Glazunov wrote "finished on the 18th of October, 1905 the day of granting Russian people freedom or, better to say, peaceful winning this freedom".
True to A. Glazunov's vital and creative optimism the development of the 8th Symphony ends with the triumph of will, light and reason.
Recording of the ballet "Lady-Soubrette" is the last page of the unprecedented work — "Anthology of Russian Symphony Music", conductor Evgeni Svetlanov has been carrying out since the very beginning of his artistic career. At first all symphonic works by P. Tchaikovsky were recorded, the anthology was concluded with the recording of all works of the same genre by A. Glazunov. Ardent promoter of Russian and Soviet music Evgeni Svetlanov performed "a creative deed", the USSR Symphony Orchestra being his true ally. Evgeni Svetlanov has been the orchestra's chief conductor and artistic director since 1965.