Yield not to temptation
Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 03/11/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This set is a tempting bargain for those who want to explore a still underrated symphonic canon. Glazunov may not be Mahler, but at his best he is a resourceful symphonist. One particularly appreciates his colorful orchestration and contrapuntal flair.
However, I would advise resisting this temptation. Despite the collective efforts of a reasonably accomplished "provincial" orchestra from the UK, Otaka's direction is almost unrelievedly bland, amorphous, characterless. Until I heard this set I would not have believed it possible for any conductor to convey such tedium in music so potentially colorful and enlivening (if hardly profound) as Glazunov's symphonies. But this is Glazunov seemingly without any interpretive profile. Just a wash of pleasing, directionless sounds.
Despite good recording and the convenience of having all these works under one cover, I would avoid purchasing this set. Instead, I would opt for the much better, and still inexpensive, Glazunov series on Naxos (led by Anissimov) or the recently issued super-bargain box recently issued by Brilliant, which recycles Polyansky's fine Glazunov series (originally on Chandos) in tandem with other orchestral and choral works (oddly, the compilers have opted for Otaka's rendition of the Seventh Symphony--though that is one of the better performances in his otherwise dispiriting cycle). Better still, try to find some of the older Melodiya recordings of these works under various Russian conductors of the previous generation (Svetlanov, Rozhdestvensky, etc.); despite some rough playing, they really knew how this music should go."
A rewarding set worthy of relishment. But Serebrier's ongoin
David A. Hollingsworth | Washington, DC USA | 12/28/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Glazunov symphonies are generally very well written works, notwithstanding some obvious stylistic `annoyances' and limitations they do possess: whether they be the long-windedness especially in the finales, the at times painstaking tendency towards the garish & the density in the writing, or the tendency sometimes to not go as far and as deep enough in expression. Yet on their own terms, these symphonies are appealing works and can stand-up admirably to those of Tchaikovsky, Borodin, or even Rachmaninoff & Scriabin. They are in essence very enjoyable to listen to. But as with any music in any genre, just don't expect too much and you won't be (too) disappointed.
So now that the limitations are out in the open, are there any compensations? You bet, and in cornucopia. How about the abundance of warmth, ingenuity, and melodic invention (those soaring melodic lines that sticks to the subconscious), that strong, almost Teutonic sense of procedural structure & form with an impeccable Russian orchestration that Bax and Gliere surely appreciated, those great climaxes with some phenomenal spontaneity in places (in the Sixth Symphony for instance)? How about some of the profundity in the writing (the Eighth Symphony's mesto movement or the first movement of the Fourth) as well as some of the heroics and admirable breadth in the argument (the Second & Fifth Symphonies)? How about some earthbound yet arresting beauty in articulation (the Third, the Fourth, or rather, the Seventh Symphony's slow movement)?
Not entirely convinced? Well, try this on size. Throughout the musical journey (which, admittedly, is not as turbulent as say, those of Myaskovsky, Shostakovich, or even Tchaikovsky for that matter) there's indeed a sense of direction in and among the symphonies. This is contrary to the claims made by Gerald Abraham (a relatively important though a biased music critic), who contends in his writings that the symphonies sound relatively the same. And while it's true that they fail to show the advances in idiom in comparison to, say, those of both Nielsen & Sibelius (who continued to write symphonies until 1925/1926), the idiom does grow, even though they're relatively youthful works, with the last one completed in 1906 when Glazunov was forty-one. They are surely within the bounds of their times, without really looking back and not really looking forward either as much as Rachmaninoff's First Symphony of 1897 surely did (which incidentally shook the Russian musical establishment by its very foundation). Nevertheless, it is no accident that they're ranked second behind Tchaikovsky's in terms of importance in Russian musical development and essential points of references for succeeding generations of composers like Rachmaninoff, Myaskovsky, Bax, and Stravinsky. But the growing admiration towards them does suggest something much more than that (and deservedly so).
And the Glazunov symphonies, believe it or not, have been pretty well served on record since the days of Golovanov, Rakhlin, Mravinsky, Khaikin, Fedoseyev et al (with six complete cycles plus two ongoing ones). And while it may be hard, if not impossible, to fathom their neglect in today's concert halls outside Russia (though politics, fashion, profitability, marketability & reputations are in some respects plausible explanations for this), it is not at all hard (or impossible) to appreciate the beauty, solidity, craftsmanship, and substance behind them and to bring those attributes to the fore. Tadaaki Otaka with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW) does that well and with admiring authority and commitment in the music making. And although I yearn for the Russian sonorities courtesy of, say, Fedoseyev and his `in-you-face humanity' type of an orchestra in those glorious Melodiya recordings, Otaka & his ensemble deserve praise & utmost respect for tackling the often strenuous demands of the symphonies (and the shorter pieces) head on. This bargain five-disc album will be a nice addition for many collectors for some time to come.
That said, I do have some qualms with Otaka's phrasings. He clearly shows just how well he knows the score, and the BBCNOW is very well prepared in meeting this maestro half way (and more). But, there's something inflexible & at times, dullish and monochromical in how they perform the works, as if to say "let's get through these." What Jose Serebrier & the Royal Scottish National Symphony show in their ongoing Warner Classics cycle is how wonderful it could be in letting ideas become more expressive and with that captivating breadth this great Russian is clearly a master of (if not always as consistent & deep as Tchaikovsky). Their rendition of the Fourth is a good case in point. Listen to how they unfold the layers of the first movement that has this mellow sweetness about it, as though the development of the ideas unfolds naturally in unison in the artist's vision. And the finale is exceptionally well done too (as in Jarvi's Orfeo recording), not hurried or rigid, but with that phraseology that just pays off immensely.
To be fair, Serebrier only recorded the four of the composer's eight symphonies to date, so there's much to discover in his seemingly ongoing journey. Otaka, to his credit though, is straightforward when needed, as in the case of the Second symphony. But he somehow misses some of that exotic colorism of its second movement with his relatively brisk tempo. And while Serebrier scores high in the Eighth Symphony (Polyansky on Chandos even higher), Otaka's as a matter of fact approach robs especially the mesto movement of some of the gravity of utterances essential in bringing out compellingly its poignancy and ill-at-ease feelings written during one of Russia's most tumultuous periods. And as far as the Fifth Symphony is concerned, I favor Serebrier's poetic ways throughout more so than Otaka's overly frank read through.
Yet all of this hair-splitting is, and I'll be honest, a matter of preferences. And if I shall be more objective at least for a moment, I'll say upfront that there's much to enjoy in this album and much to learn, thanks largely to Marina Lobanova, whose booklet essays are immensely revelatory in their own rights (is a biography of the composer on the horizon?). The recording is consistently superb throughout, though I favor more to Warner's Chandos like reverberation that brings out the details even more readily. So, with all that said, go for it!
But for me though, I'll await the Serebrier cycle to reach its conclusion, for it is definitely on its way in becoming the most absorbing, satisfying, though-provoking cycle to date."
Fine, but by no means reference
Prescott Cunningham Moore | 09/17/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"While we certainly are not swimming in Glazunov symphony cycles, by my count, there are at least six (6) complete cycles currently available. There are, of course, the two classic cycles from Vladimir Fedoseyev and Evgeny Svetlanov as well as the more recent Polyansky cycle. Namee Jarvi's complete cycle is wonderful, especially due to Jarvi lightness of touch, which adds a great deal of sparkle to these symphonies. Jose Serebrier's now-complete cycle stands as perhaps a modern reference edition, with a particularly fine Sixth and the first movement of the unfinished Ninth. And then there is this cycle with the British Broadcasting Company's house orchestra, conducted by Otaka. While these performances are quite fine, I find myself almost surprised to say that they simply do not measure up to the competition in this field.
For one, British Orchestras do not always fare well in Russian music. The tubby brass, watery clarinets, and full-bodied strings that typify British bands seem at odds with the Russian idiom, which requires piercing trumpets, piquant winds, and steely strings. And while Brittish orchestras, when pushed, can produce an appropriately idiomatic sound (like Gatti's wonderful Tchaikovsky with the Royal Philharmonic), that is certainly not the case here. The BBC Orchestra strings sound heavy, making the first movement of the marvelous Fifth Symphony, which tends towards muddiness in-of-itself, particularly murky. At the same time, while the brass, especially the horns, deliver some fine ensemble work in the large tutti passages of this movement, the brass fails to ring out in their choral fanfares before the entrance of the second subject. Indeed, it is nice that Otaka's keen sense of balance allows the wind parts to be heard, but it robs the music of its intrinsic excitement and Russian flair. Nor do the lower strings in the scherzo of the First Symphony have the necessary bite to make that requisite "Slavonic" sound. Conversely, the woodwind work, while lacking that last ounce of "oriental" chromaticism, are certainly colorful enough to make the Scherzo of the Fourth sound absolutely delightful and charming enough to imbue the Tchaikovskian Scherzo of the Fifth with childlike playfulness.
Of course, part of the blame (for lack of a better term), should be placed at the feat of the conductor. Otaka's somewhat one-size-fits-all approach to the symphonies does not ware well on repeated hearings. His moderate tempo to the first movement of the First Symphony cannot save the music from repetitiveness and he fails to make the entrance of the allegro proper in the Seventh really bloom. On the whole, the Sixth does not sound as dark and dreadful as it should and tension sometimes falters in the two E-flat major symphonies. However, that isn't to say that Otaka does a bad job in the slightest. He obeys, unlike so many other conductors, Glazunov's moderato tempo marking for the Scherzo of the Fifth, and the music looses nothing at a slower tempo. Indeed, the a la Borodin trio fits into his framework particularly well. Otaka's handling of the introduction to the Second Symphony also strikes me as ideal, powerful, but never vulgar, with touches of fantasy. Indeed, while Otaka may lack the seriousness of his Russian counterparts, failing to deliver tension-filled first movements, he indulges Glazunov's tendency towards "oriental" brilliance and fairy-tale charm. The Scherzos dance, bathed in colour, the Finales sparkle, and the perfumed lyricism of the slow movements are indeed magical.
A shame really that Otaka could not generate that extra ounce of energy for the outer movements of these Eight orchestral gems, for this cycle could certainly have stood among the best. Still, it is a nice alternative to Serebrier and Jarvi's cycles, currently only available as individual releases, or to Fedoseyev and Svetlanov which remain reference in all but sound."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1![Glazunov: Orchestral Works Including The 8 Symphonies [Box Set]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//l/93/9393/6159393.jpg)