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Symphony 7 Pastoral on SACD

As early as 1882, audiences acclaimed the premiere of the first symphony by Alexander Glazunov, who was just 16 years old. The Niederrheinische Sinfoniker, under the baton of their principal conductor Mihkel Kütson, now present an extremely attractive selection from the early composer's extensive oeuvre, in which the folk-typical national Russian elements of the "Mighty Little Group" combine most advantageously with Tchaikovsky's Central European-influenced tonal language. Glazunov calls his 7th Symphony "Pastoral", and the parallel to Beethoven - especially in the bucolic opening movement - is unmistakable. The still young man has mastered his compositional tools, acquired from Balakirev and Rimsky-Korssakov, to perfection: motif processing, counterpoint and cyclical form combine to form a convincing whole that also unfolds magnificent splendor in the rousing finale. In "Stenka Razin", Glazunov transforms a popular, highly dramatic subject from Russian history into a symphonic poem. The famous, melancholy song of the Volga tugboats drives the plot around the rough-legged pirate, including a love affair with a Persian princess. Of course, there is a tragic ending, which is, however, greeted with enthusiasm by the companions... The Poème lyrique and the Carneval Overture round off a program that is not only convincing in terms of content: captured in three-dimensional sound and presented in the best Super Audio quality, this Glasunov project is also a multi-colored audiophile treasure that is sure to make symphonic enthusiasts go into raptures.