Glazunov, Alexander - String Quintet / Five Novelettes - Fine Arts Quartet
• A composer of precocious talent, Glazunov came from a generation that was able to benefit from the inspiration of the Russian nationalist composers and the increased professionalism of the conservatories.
• His attractive Five Novelettes, a set of finely crafted genre pieces with hints of Spanish, Hungarian and Oriental dance rhythms, were written when he was sixteen. His String Quintet of ten years later shows similar assurance. Like Schubert’s, it is scored for two cellos, an instrument for which Glazunov had a particular fondness.
• Founded in Chicago in 1946, the Fine Arts Quartet is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy.
Fine Arts Quartet:
Ralph Evans, violin
Efim Boico, violin
Yuri Gandelsman, viola
Wolfgang Laufer, cello
Nathaniel Rosen, cello
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov
Five Novelettes, Op. 15
1. I. Alla spagnuola: Allegretto
2. II. Orientale: Allegro con brio
3. III. Interludium in modo antico: Andante
4. IV. Valse: Allegretto
5. V. All'ungherese: Allegretto
String Quintet in A major, Op. 39
6. I. Allegro
7. II. Scherzo: Allegro moderato
8. III. Andante sostenuto
9. IV. Finale: Allegro moderato