The
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...
No. 4 in E-flat major,
Op. 48, was written by
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 ...
in 1893. The symphony was a departure from Glazunov's three earlier symphonies, which were based on
nationalistic Russian tunes and, according to the composer, allowed him to give "personal, free, and subjective impressions of myself."
History
The symphony is dedicated to
Anton Rubinstein, a fellow
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and
pianist, and has three movements compared to Glazunov's regular four. Glazunov finished the symphony on 4 December 1893, and it was premiered at the Third Russian Concert at the Hall of Nobility on 22 January 1894. The premiere was conducted by
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
, another eminent Russian composer, who declared the work "marvellous, noble, expressive". Later, Glazunov's daughter, Elena Glazunova-Gunther, would tell her biographer that the Fourth Symphony was the favorite Glazunov symphony in Europe, while the
Fifth was favored in America.
Structure
Three movements make up the work:
External links
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1893 compositions
Symphonies by Alexander Glazunov
Compositions in E-flat major
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