How good is unsung music--and how would we know?

[Mark Thomas]

For me Glazunov's Fifth has such rythmic verve, propulsive momentum, sparkling orchestration, glorious instantly-memorable melody and, in its finale, one of the most exciting movements in the symphonic repertoire that it is undoubtedly the most successful in his canon.  It's not the deepest work around but it must be a candidate for being the most  straightforwardly enjoyable symphony you could hope to find.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I realize this is an aside and may require a new thread but can anyone recommend a boxed set of the Glazunov symphonies? A friend of mine has a birthday early in the New Year and has hinted he would like just such a set. I rather like the Svetlanov versions, but the presentation is so awful - shoddy and slapdash and uninformative - that I hesitate to purchase that, although the performances are exciting.

[Alan Howe]

There's no doubt in my mind that Serebrier's set is the best: superior playing and recording throughout, coupled with the conductor's profound understanding of the idiom. However, as a set it seems to have been deleted, which is rather annoying. Otherwise, I'd probably go for beautifully considered Otaka set - which you can hear excerpts from here (Otaka is probably at the opposite end of the interpretive spectrum from Svetlanov):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glazunov-National-Orchestra-Wales-Tadaaki/dp/B004RE6KGI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482260441&sr=8-5&keywords=glazunov+symphonies

[Gooseguy]

Hi -

Although the Serebrier set seems to be unavailable in cd form, it is downloadable from Presto Classical, either as mp3 or flac.  See http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner%2BClassics/2564664674#download

It's better than not available at all, anyway.

Hope this helps

[MartinH]

I collect Glazunov sets - all of them. The Svetlanov is ok, but the sound is harsh at times, and sometimes I get the feeling he really didn't know them all that well. His compatriot Rozdestvensky really has a grip on them and the performances are thrilling and the sound is really strident at times. If it's modern sound and great playing, the Serebrier set is tough to beat. The Naxos series has some fine entries, but not all. The Chandos is incomplete. The Fedoseyev is pretty exciting - most sets require 6 disks, his take only 4. Otaka on Bis is just fine with me, the price certainly good and I think he really understands them, too. But - if I had to rush to grab one set before the house burned down it would be the Neeme Jarvi set on Orfeo that I grabbed, but they were never issued as a complete set (like in a box) and they're hard to find and pricey. But I really enjoy his Glazunov - exciting, delicate, ballet like when needed. The Bamberg Symphony plays great, too. And Mark is right - there are few symphonies with finales as thrilling as the 5th and Svetlanov nails it.

[chill319]

I'm quite taken with Glazunov's Symphony 8. The first movement takes motivic consistency about as far as it can go (in Glazunov's idiom) without overstaying its welcome -- a masterfully wrought movement. You might say it anticipates the kind of continuous variation found in some 20th-century Scandinavian symphonies. But it's the slow movement that really makes the 8th symphony for me. Here Glazunov is travelling outside of his comfort zone, and the results are dramatic and moving. It isn't fair to call it a cross between Tchaikovsky and Wagner since it's as mature and personal as anything Glazunov wrote. Still...

[FBerwald]

I would have to disagree with reg. Serebrier's Glazunov set - Serebrier seems to know how to make the best of introductions eg - Symphony No. 5. He make the intro quite exciting and builds up the climax to the Allegro where in lays all the action - here he suddenly seems to loose steam. I agree the sound quality is phenomenal which makes for very good listening, but  Serebrier can't match Neeme Järvi in terms of interpretation. He brings out the wildness of Last movement and its wonderful syncopated gallop to a showstopping climax. Even Symphony No. 7 [seemingly the weakest] - here Järvi makes a better case for it than Serebrier. I consider Järvi's version of Glazunov and Berwald superior to all [of course i feel his Dvorak set was a flop!]. Järvi's Glazunov is the set I'd recommend.

[adriano]

Music - sung or unsung - should be listened to, performed, enjoyed and shared - not discussed 
In my opinion, the constant comparing unsung pieces with its contemporary sung ones is silly, or even perverse. One may rather discuss interpretations, but this too is a matter of taste.
I have lost quite a lot of time of my life by reading musicologist's books, making me feel more confused than satisfied. I interprete the pieces I am allowed to perform out of my belly - using, of course, experiences gained from listening to great artists and performances. I have never completed conservatory studies; I refused to be terrorised by so many existing (and also questionable) musical opinions and rules. If someone does not like this or that piece I perform, it's his problem. I feel honest enough to dare to perform the pieces that I have chosen. I respect criticism and advice from those who have more experience and knowledge, but not from those critics (or amateur critics) who listen to my recordings following score bar by bar. Music has dimensions which go beyond its written notes and dynamics, and, if one has the gift to perceive these, he should either become a music lover or a performer. Music needs a great general culture and I was horrified to meet so many well-known conductors and soloists with whom I could not even talk about literature, painting, sculpture and cinema.
Bravissimo, chill319, for your higly important observations of June 11th!
Years ago, a super soloist wanted me to be present at her first reading of my Clarinet Quintet. Right before she started to play, she asked me to tell her the feelings I had whilst writing my piece - and I answered I would tell this only after her final (concert) performance, that she just should go on playing. I will never forget her constant looking at me studying the part and I felt in need to leave. She asked me to stay. My silent presence alone, apparently, would help her to interprete. After the concert, she rushed towards me and asked me whether she had "catched my feelings" - and I answered: "I now have catched yours" and kissed her joyfully.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you very much for all your suggestions and informed opinions re. Glazunov symphonies. I shall look about and perhaps my friend will get some of the Jarvi disks and can collect the rest himself. A pity about the deletion of the Serebrier set since it is thought of so highly. Doubtless it will reappear - but who knows when!

[sdtom]

I'm leaning toward his 4th symphony. The three movement work starts out with a pretty but solemn melody followed by a nice scherzo and concluding with an allegro. A very nice conclusion.

[Ilja]

In my opinion, the constant comparing unsung pieces with its contemporary sung ones is silly, or even perverse. One may rather discuss interpretations, but this too is a matter of taste.

Not merely, I think; this is what as a teacher I like to call "postmodernism for beginners" and see a lot in students: I think something, you think something, therefore we both think equally valid things. Yet I have educated myself and you have not; on the other hand my nostalgia leads me to decide that Battlestar Galactica is a great TV show whereas you can see it for the flawed, rushed jumble that it is because you have the distance of time and experience. To declare something "just a matter of taste" is to say that meaningful discussion is impossible, whereas I am convinced it is not. It is just important how you express it and which parameters you set out for yourself.


However, "unsung music" isn't really a category in and of itself: it is a historical contingency, just like "sung" music is. So to discuss the distinguishing qualities of unsung music in particular is per definition useless.


Having said that, I have often enjoyed "academic" treatments of music and while some has been confusing, knowing the circumstances of how a work was conceived and received has always given me a better understanding of it.