DCXXXIII. GLAZUNOV, Alexander: From the Middle Ages, Op. 79

DCXXXIII. GLAZUNOV, Alexander (1865-1936)

From the Middle Ages, Op. 79 (1902)
1. Prelude
2. Scherzo
3. The Troubadour's Serenade
4. Finale: The Crusaders
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Vladimir Fedoseyev, cond.
[scrolling score]
(26:06)

If there's something other than the actual music -- which is quite good and rooted in its time -- it's the magnificent orchestration, so typical of the great Russian composers.

1. Prelude

Ominous, moving to lyrical and romantic.

2. Scherzo

A marvel of technique, a Dance of Death. [listen for the Dies irae chant!]

3. The Troubadour's Serenade

Accompanied by the harp, the orchestra spins out a yearning melody that dies away to nothing.

4. Finale: The Crusaders

Filled with brass fanfares, naturally, as the Crusaders march on. Glazunov's most famous pupil, Dmitri Shostakovich, was fond of this marching motif -- a 1/4-note followed by an 1/8th/16th rest/16th ...