Nathan Milstein

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. Without doubt two of Glazunov's most popular works are the ballets, Raymonda and The Seasons, both contained in this set. These two works amply illustrate the composers gift for melody and a well-turned musical phrase, and deserve their place in the popular ballet repertoire. This recording of the symphonic poem Stenka Razin is being released here in stereo and on CD for the very first time. Stenka Razin was a 17th century Cossack who rebelled against the Tsarist régime at the time. He was executed in 1672 and thus became a Russian national hero. The Concerto Ballata was written in 1931 and is one of the composer's final works.