Alexander Glazunov

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (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 and 1928 and was instrumental in the reorganization of the institute into the Petrograd Conservatory, then the Leningrad Conservatory, following the Bolshevik Revolution. He continued as head of the Conservatory until 1930, though he had left the Soviet Union in 1928 and did not return. The best-known student under his tenure during the early Soviet years was Dmitri Shostakovich.

Glazunov successfully reconciled nationalism and cosmopolitanism in Russian music. While he was the direct successor to Balakirev's nationalism, he tended more towards Borodin's epic grandeur while absorbing a number of other influences. These included Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral virtuosity, Tchaikovsky's lyricism and Taneyev's contrapuntal skill. Younger composers such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich eventually considered his music old-fashioned, while also admitting he remained a composer with an imposing reputation, and a stabilizing influence in a time of transition and turmoil

Portrait of Glazunov by Ilya Repin, 1887

Gradually, through the help and support of Belyayev, Glazunov began to enjoy international acclaim. In spite of his popularity however, he experienced a creative crisis in 1890-91 and came out of the period with a new maturity, as well as three completed symphonies, two string quartets and a ballet. In 1905, he was selected as director of Saint Petersburg Conservatory and at this stage, it is often said that he was at the peak of his creative ability. Whilst in this post, he composed many works and gained some notoriety as a conductor – although he never really mastered the art. In 1928, Glazunov toured Europe and the USA and, at the end of the tour in 1929, settled in Paris. He said publically that his reasons for doing this were health related, but it is somewhat likely that, like Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, he was fleeing the rise of the Soviet Union. By claiming that it was for health reasons, however, he remained a respected composer in the Soviet Union. In the later parts of his life, his output slowed significantly, but the works that were produced in this period, such as the Concerto for Alto Saxophone op.109 (1934) showed maturity and impressive polish. Glazunov died on March 21st 1936 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris. His remains were moved to Leningrad in 1972.