Elegy: Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin | Brilliant Classics 96763

Elegy: Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Borodin

£9.45

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Brilliant Classics

Cat No: 96763

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Orchestral

Release Date: 28th April 2023

Contents

About

Hidden behind the late 19th century’s great symphonies, sumptuous ballets and concertos with moving climaxes is something much more thoughtful and contemplative. A delicate sonic world, where silence is as important as sound, marked by pianissimi and a veiled, almost restrained feeling of melancholy. This secret landscape comes courtesy of a few precious pieces for string orchestra by three Russian composers, all active at approximately the same time.

Glazunov’s vast oeuvre for orchestra demonstrates his extraordinary talent for orchestration. However, his pieces for smaller ensembles are just as noteworthy. These include the Theme and Variations in G minor, op.97, for string orchestra, which evolved from a string quintet he wrote in 1895. The extremely simple theme in 3/4 has the feel of a solemn, ancient dance, simultaneously nostalgic and sombre.

In another example of Glazunov’s crystal-clear yet expressive writing, the string orchestra provides the backdrop and conversation partner for a solo instrument that was a rarity in concertos at the time: the saxophone. Overall, despite the explosive counterpoint in the work’s final movement, it is a dreamy composition, never overly dramatic, and subdued and melancholy in places: almost elegiac, in other words.

The elegy, with its meditative tone, typically written to reflect sadness at a death, ill-fated love or similar, is not a genre one tends to associate with Tchaikovsky. However, the two elegies he composed for string orchestra – the Elegy in Memory of Ivan Vasil’evich Samarin and the third movement of the String Serenade in C major, op.48 – are highly refined works that reveal another side to the famous composer.

In the same period that Tchaikovsky was writing his elegies, between 1880 and 1885, the composer and chemist Alexander Borodin was drafting his Second Quartet, dedicated to his wife Ekaterina for their 20th anniversary. The third movement, a Nocturne, is one of Borodin’s finest works. It was therefore not only written at the same time as Tchaikovsky’s elegies, but also shares their gracefulness. Borodin’s night is clear, full of celestial visions and lofty tremolos. While the elegy provides the perfect space for reflection, memory and individual thoughts, these are also three elements that are intrinsically linked with the night, making Borodin’s Nocturne a fitting conclusion to a cycle of elegies and elegiac works.

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