Alexander Glazunov - Piano Music Vol. 3 (Stephen Coombs)

Information

Composer: Alexander Glazunov

• (01) Prelude and Fugue in D minor, Op. 62
• (03) Four Preludes and Fugues Op. 101, Nos. 1-4
• (11) Prelude and Fugue in E minor

Stephen Coombs, piano

Date: 1995

Label: Hyperion

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66855

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Review

With the incredible popularity of Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier, every pianist since the middle of the eighteenth century has learned to play it, learned to play by means of it. The temptation to try to imitate the master has for most of them proven to be irresistible. In fact Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, and Wagner seem to be the only notable exceptions. Mozart, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Taneyev, Respighi, Vaughan Williams, and Shostakovich all tried their hand. A few stopped at the writing of Preludes,* writing few if any fugues to follow, and some wrote many more fugues than preludes. One reason why such pieces have not been played frequently is that during the Victorian era they were considered "mere" exercises, to be sharply distinguished from those "inspired" compositions where God entered the composing process and dictated the music, compositions where the composer’s immortal soul could shine forth unencumbered by pedantic artifice and fussy intellectualism. I’m not making this up, you know.

But, pedantic artifice and fussy intellectualism or no, I have always been fascinated by these Bach imitations, not slightly because they are in many cases rather good music, or at the very least fascinating in the insight they give as to how Bach appeared to later generations.

Since one hears very little of Glazunov’s piano music, it is surprising that it is so good, receiving here the benefit of exceptionally beautiful performances and recordings. The Op. 62 is a substantial work, perhaps the most accessible of the set. You can download the score from www.sheetmusicarchive.net. The remaining works require listening through a few times to reveal their wonders. The preludes feature extensive runs and arpeggiation. The fugue subjects feature stepwise harmonies which lead to much parallel and contrary motion chromatic passage-work during the working out, so the overall shape of the music is much like that of Rachmaninov. Quoting Shostakovich, the notes say Glazunov was a committed contrapuntalist in developing his orchestral textures. But he was not really a fugue writer like Tchaikovsky or Taneyev, but more a creator of well woven sonic tapestries like Schubert or Rachmaninov. Glazunov’s fugues contain much broken counterpoint, little canon, and rely a lot on transitions and episodes.

*Before you put Chopin entirely in this category you should hear his Prelude and Fugue in a minor played on the harpsichord.

-- Paul Shoemaker, MusicWeb International

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Alexander Glazunov (10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor. He served as director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 Glazunov was significant in that he successfully reconciled nationalism and cosmopolitanism in Russian music. While he was the direct successor to Balakirev's nationalism, he tended more towards Borodin's epic grandeur while absorbing a number of other influences, including Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral virtuosity, Tchaikovsky's lyricism and Taneyev's contrapuntal skill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Glazunov

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Stephen Coombs (born July 11, 1960 in Birkenhead, near Liverpool) is an English pianists. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music. Coombs is one of the leading English pianists of his generation, active not only as a soloist and recitalist but also as a chamber player and duo pianist. While his repertory includes mainstream compositions, he has become particularly well known for his interpretations of works by lesser-known late-Romantic composers. Coombs has achieved acclaim for his recordings in the massive Hyperion series The Romantic Piano Concerto.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/stephen-coombs-mn0002342760/biography

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