CXCVII. GLAZUNOV, Alexander (1865-1936)
He is sufficiently important for no other reason than he taught Shostakovich!
Even Dmitri eventually considered him to be old-hat, however. But that doesn't mean he didn't appreciate him. Glazunov helped the young, starving kid find his next meal, not to mention putting together the premiere for his First Symphony (1923-25), just as the wealthy timber merchant and amateur musician Mitrofan Belyayev had done for him when Glazunov was still a teenager.
Rimsky-Korsakov was one of his first teachers.
"His musical development progressed not by the day, but literally by the hour."
According to Shostakovich, Glazunov kept a bottle of alcohol hidden behind his desk, which he would sip from a tube during lessons.
In 1905, Glazunov became the director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. After the Revolution, he worked hard to keep the place going, but was discouraged by the younger generation, who -- as we mentioned -- considered him "old-hat."
Finally in 1928, he left Russia, never to return.
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Lermontov's Masquerade, written in 1835.
Lermontov never lived to see his play produced. It was fully censored until 1862. The authorities apparently didn't like the idea of such horror taking place in the masked ball -- a common pleasantry of high society.
It was also apparently based on a true story.
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Glazunov's music casts a spell. Listen to the wordless chorus at the start ...
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