Glazunov Symphonies & Concertos/Serebrier

[Alan Howe]

A reissue, of course - but apparently exclusive to jpc and a steal at around EUR3 per CD + p & p:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/saemtliche-sinfonien-konzerte/hnum/8621697

[MartinH]

Arghh! That's less than what I paid for just two of the original releases. Not surprised and nothing to do about it. At least I can get once expensive Hyperion releases from Berkshire for 75% off.

[Alan Howe]

Yes, I bought the entire cycle as it came out, CD by CD. Never mind. At least some others should benefit from this tempting bargain - as should the composer's reputation.

[TerraEpon]

A box set's been available for quote a few years (I own it), but it looks like this one re-orders stuff.

[FBerwald]

It's a good set but not as good as the one by Jarvi.

[Alan Howe]

That's a matter of opinion. Serebrier is superb.

[Mark Thomas]

He is, but so is Järvi, to be fair. It's pretty much of a dead-heat IMHO.

[minacciosa]

Jarvi's set is quite uneven. 2, 3, 6, and 8 are duds. Probably done too quickly with insufficient prep by the conductor.

[Alan Howe]

Anyway, the point is: the Serebrier set's a steal.

[kolaboy]

Not heard Serebrier's reading of the 7th before. Looking forward to it...

[mjmosca]

May I put in a recommendation for the set lead by Fedoseyev- also a bargain on Brilliant Classics. The recordings were made between 1974-1982 so the sound is not "state of the art" but very serviceable. The orchestra had a very idiomatic sound, without coarseness, and Fedoseyev's realizations are excellent, outstanding in 5 and 7. Indeed in 5 and 7, [two of my favorites] I find him unsurpassed. All are very good.

[MartinH]

But it's Fedoseyev - one of the most vulgar, unmusical barbarians ever to wield a baton. Anyone who would butcher Tchaikovsky's Manfred the way he did should be banished from concert halls forever.

There are so many excellent Glazunov sets now; a generation ago recordings of the symphonies were scarce. I've picked them all up, save the Fedoseyev and frankly, there's a lot to enjoy in every set - no one gets everything perfectly. But if I had to live with just one, it would be the late Gennady Rozhdestvensky recordings, overly-bright Melodiya sound and all.

[minacciosa]

Fedoseyev is great, particularly the 6th.

[adriano]

I may be repeating myself from an earlier posting, but I quite like the Tadaaki Otaka complete Glazunov Symphonies box on BIS. My favourite is, still, Svetlanov. But Serebier's Glazunov recordings are excellent in another way too; I only changed my opinon of Serbrier as a person, after having heard from musicians who played under his baton that he behaved in a most unfriendly, insulting and arrogant way.
I agree with MartinH on Fedo. I was involved in his Zurich's Opera Productions Of Verdi's "Otello" and Massenet's "Don Quichotte" - it was a nightmare, he had no idea. He was better off with some of our Russian Opera productions. The last thing he did in Zurich was Dvorak's "Rusalka"; in the intermission of the dress rehearsal, the singers rushed to Mr. Pereira (Manager) begging him to beg Fedo that he should play at least 50% softer and to increase his tempi in order they may be able to make it until the end.
His recording of Rimsky's "Snow Maiden" is quite good and that's why Melodiya re-issued it on CD. Tchaikovsky's "Cereviki" was re-issued in a pompously called "Silver Edition" by the Swiss label Relief, supported by a mysterious (and probably not all too legal) Lichtenstein Funding Corporation, including also some more recent live recordings, with some of Fedo's clumsy Beethoven, Mozart, Sibelius a.o., besides Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and other Russians. On the same label there is also a 2002 live "Jolantha" which I "eliminated" after buying Kitaenko's recent version - and still keeping the old Ermler one.
Oh, and there is that 3CD Koch-Schwann set with Tchaikovsky's "Unabridged Original Versions" of his "Four Piano Concertos" etc.,  - and thsoe 3 Tchaikosky Concertos with Pletnev on Vorgin Classics - also conducted by Fedo - and which got tremendously good reveiews....
Can you imagine? Fedo was also awarded the International Mahler Society Gold Medal - a honour which Kondrashin and Svetlanov would have deserved before him (if they ever got it).
In Moscow they used to call Fedo "Bayan Karajan" - after he was allowed to swich over from Folk music to symphonic. He owes a lot to his wife Olga, who is well-connected in Moscow and who manages him.

[Alan Howe]

Not, apparently, exclusive to jpc! MDT are now advertising the Serebrier set for £13.70, i.e. at £1.71 per CD!!!