Glazunov Neeme

While the Middle Ages Suite is interesting, the real gem on this disk is the Scenes de Ballet. In this score, Glazunov matches the pinnacle of ballet music writing that he reached in his ballet The Seasons. Many listeners will recognize some of the numbers in this piece, because they tend to crop up in various "new" ballet productions that are patched together by choreographers such as Peter Maartens and Mikhail Baryshnikov – plus their occasional inclusion in the figure-skating routines presented by those great Russian and Ukrainian skaters every time the Winter Olympics comes around.

Glazunov’s symphonies are a significant cycle within the Russian symphony, to which similar status should be accorded as the today considerably better-known symphonic cycles by his successors Prokofiev, Myaskovsky or Shostakovich. Like Camille Saint-Saëns in France or Max Bruch in Germany, Alexander Glazunov was a truly progressive, but formally conservative-thinking composer who was not willing to sacrifice the traditional symphonic form to superficial Modernism. It is now time to rehabilitate Glazunov’s symphonies. Whoever studies them intensively will discover some of the finest music of their time and particularly under the wonderful baton of the great Glazunov champion Neeme Järvi.

There are many different musical "Seasons" aside from Vivaldi's, and next to Haydn's oratorio of the same name, this is probably the most famous example. The complete ballet is of modest length–only 40 minutes or so–and the autumn "Bacchanal" contains what is probably the catchiest tune that Glazunov ever wrote. You'll probably think that you've heard it before, but can't quite figure out where. Neeme Jarvi is always at his best in big, splashy Romantic pieces, and this performance is no exception. He whips the orchestra up to a fine frenzy where necessary, and given Chandos's fine sound and a sensible coupling, you're in for some good listening.

Maximilian Steinberg studied at the St Petersburg Conservatory from 1901 – simultaneously with studying natural sciences at the city’s university. At the conservatory, where he was a contemporary of Stravinsky, initially a friend, Steinberg’s teachers included Glazunov – the dedicatee of his First Symphony – and Rimsky-Korsakov. The latter took a shine to Steinberg, recognising him as a significant talent and took opportunities to further his career, to the chagrin of Stravinsky. In due course, Steinberg married Rimsky’s daughter. He remained in St Petersburg (later Leningrad) for the rest of his life, becoming director of the conservatory in 1934. Among his pupils at the conservatory was Shostakovich.

Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg was self-taught and made a living for much of his career as an electrical engineer and patent official. His nine symphonies are only sporadically played outside Scandinavia, but between the world wars they were quite familiar in both Britain and the U.S., and their revival is probably overdue. Although longer than the rest of the works on the album, the curiously named Symphony No. 6, Op. 31 ("Dollar Symphony"), is an odd and not really typical work. It was completed in 1928 for a contest mounted by the Columbia record label on the 100th anniversary of Schubert's death, calling for a work in the spirit of Schubert's music.

This is the fourth and final volume of colourful and highly appealing orchestral works by the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen. The series is performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Neeme Järvi.

It's a bit depressing how many new releases from the "major" classical labels these days consist of recycled old recordings, but give Deutsche Grammophon credit for the thinking that obviously went into this four-CD box entitled The Four Seasons: A Musical Calendar of Favourite Classics. In a way, this is yet another milking of the perennially salable Vivaldi Four Seasons; each of the four discs (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) opens with a complete performance of its respective concerto from that set, in the Gil Shaham recording with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra - 125 Years of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (2016) {2CD Set Chandos CHAN 241-55}
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© 2016 Chandos Records | CHAN 241-55
Classical / Orchestral

In the 2015 / 2016 season, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra celebrates a proud 125-year history of bringing the best in classical music performances to audiences right across Scotland and beyond. Marking its recording relationship with the Orchestra, Chandos has compiled a two-disc set (at the price of one CD) of the finest of thirty years of recordings that have shaped the reputation of the Orchestra as well as the label. The RSNO has amassed a tremendous discography on Chandos over the years, including great recording series devoted to works by Dvorak, Elgar, and Prokofiev. Now on SACD, its releases continue to receive high praise.