Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8. Alexander Anissimov, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553660.(Review)

Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8. Alexander Anissimov, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553660.

If the name Alexander Glazunov conjures up nothing more in your memory banks than the "Raymonda" and "The Seasons" ballets, you're probably not alone. He was one of those fine second-tier composers who are known today for only a couple of things although they composed enormous quantities of stuff. The budget Naxos label is seeking to make Glazunov's name better recognized through a series of orchestral recordings with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.

The Eighth Symphony was Glazunov's last completed large-scale work, premiered in 1906. It is a big, typically Russian piece, weighty and momentous, and in part a little menacing. It's most interesting movements are its second and third. The slow second movement has a particularly lyrical and serene central portion that would charm a Cossack. The tumultuous third movement scherzo provides an ideal contrast to the preceding repose. But it's the Fifth Symphony I was most ...