Alexander Glazunov - Symphony No. 1 in E Major Op. 5 “Slavonian“ (Full Orchestral Score)

Movements: 0:00 - 1. Allegro 11:03 - 2. Scherzo: Allegro 16:03 - 3. Adagio 23:53 - 4. Finale: Allegro Hello everyone! I’m “known“ for my original compositions here on YouTube but I figured it might be cool to start my own score videos! I already make scores for my compositions so how hard could it be for other compositions? It took maybe 2 hours to make this video but it was great to do it for this piece which has no score video AND is very underappreciated. I also want to provide some rudimentary analysis for each piece I do a video on. I’m no biographer but I’ll do my best to write something entertaining and informative. Overview: Glazunov’s 1st symphony was written in 1881 when he was only 16 years old! When it premiered a year later, the audience was amazed to see the awkward teenaged Glazunov step on stage to take his bow. His early success stems from his discovery by Mily Balakriev and his subsequent education from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Glazunov progressed rapidly in his education and by 16 years old, writing a symphony was pretty simple needing no help at all in its composition besides a minor edit proposed by Balakriev. Even Tchaikovsky was impressed by Glazunov’s talent! It is also called the Slavonian Symphony, but I couldn’t tell you why... (source Wikipedia) Analysis: The opening movement might be a tad repetitive for some, but looking past its rhythmic consistency, one will find a rather harmonically pleasing movement. The movement is in Sonata form and features a 6/8 time signature. The tonic E major evokes a pastoral countryside in my view and is a happy little frolic, galloping along the path. Contrasting is the second subject in B Major, more or less in 3/4, stopping atop a hill and smelling the prim roses. After an optional repeat comes the development winding through numerous keys as early showcase of Glazunov’s harmonic prowess. The scherzo echoes the urban life in my view with light syncopation and odd rhythms. It is ternary form and in the distant C major. After a brief A theme comes the contrasting melody in A-flat major. Curiously, the opening rhythm to this B section can also be found in a prominant role in Rimsky Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture. Perhaps the master stole from the student? Or was this a Russian song or trend that I don’t know about? Who knows... The A theme repeats and the movement nears its end with a coda using inflections of the B theme dramatically slowed down for comedic purposes. Tchaikovskian brass and slight fanfare end the movement. The Adagio evokes the elegiac nature of Tchaikovsky’s music and perhaps a spirit of homesickness. That isn’t to say this doesn’t have its triumphant moments particularly midway through in the quasi-development. This movement is more of a harmonic exercise than a melodic one like most slow movements are but it still is profound and beautiful as a piece of music. The E minor harmonies bounce across the bassoons and clarinets before jumping to the strings in the solemn beginning. The Finale is powerful and fully embraces the Russian folk aspect of most Russian music from the time. It evokes this pure joy in its happy melody. Spouts in G-sharp minor and B Major round out the beginning third of the piece while a semi-brief development unfolds soon after. The final third is very much like a fanfare and a thundering coda uses chromaticism to great use to close out the symphony. So my analysis is rudimentary, but I’ll get better with each subsequent piece I do a video for. And each opinion and characteristic I give is PURELY my own. I want to do these every week, and I want to start with a series on Glazunov’s orchestral works. I’m not sure which one I’ll do next but I won’t do any piece that already has a quality score video of it. Thanks for watching and reading! Enjoy! Performed by the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.