Glazunov Symphonies

Glazunov Symphonies

Alexander Glazunov [1865-1936] may not be as well-known as Tchaikovsky, but this Russian composer still has a lot to offer. Beautiful melodies and charming works abound in his compositions, and if you are a Tchaikovsky fan, he is well worth checking out. While his most popular works are theballets The Seasons and Raymonda along with the Violin Concerto, the 8 Symphonies also have a lot to offer.There are some super bargain sets of symphonies on MP3 that have been released lately, and if you want to explore Glazunov’s works more, here are a few sets to check out:

Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
This set is older and the sound is not spectacular, typical of Melodia era recordings from the 60s-70s, but the performances are right up there with the best, and at $3.99 for the whole symphony set, this is the best bargain out there.

Otaka and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on BIS has better sound, but the playing is missing that last bit of punch, but again, at $5.99 this is an excellent bargain.

My favorite recordings are by Jarvi on the Orfeo label with various orchestras, and these performances sing, but are currently only on CD, and at $25 or so per CD an expensive proposition. I have collected the entire set over the years used, and are definitely worth acquiring if you can get a reasonable deal on them, but the Fedoseyev set is a close second.
Here is the search page for the MP3 versions available at a more reasonable price.

The recent-era recordings by Jose Serebrier and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra et. al. have been compiled in an 8-box set along with various concertos. If you are looking for a reasonable CD set with great sound, this is the way to go. I have several of the individual CD releases and none of them have disappointed.

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