Symphony No. 4 (Glazunov)
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The Symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

 No. 4 in E flat major
, Op. 48, was written by Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...

 in 1893. The symphony was a departure from Glazunov's three earlier symphonies, which were based on nationalistic
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

 Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n tunes and, according to the composer, allowed him to give "personal, free, and subjective impressions of myself."

Three movements make up the work:
  1. Andante - Allegro moderato
  2. Scherzo
    Scherzo
    A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...

  3. Andante - Allegro


The symphony is dedicated to Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...

, a fellow composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, and has three movements compared to Glazunov's regular four; the scherzo
Scherzo
A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...

 is meant to represent Arnold Böcklin
Arnold Böcklin
Arnold Böcklin was a Swiss symbolist painter.-Life and art:He was born at Basel. His father, Christian Frederick Böcklin , was descended from an old family of Schaffhausen, and engaged in the silk trade. His mother, Ursula Lippe, was a native of the same city...

's painting Diana's Chase. Glazunov finished the symphony on 4 December, 1893, and it was premiered at the Third Russian Concert at the Hall of Nobility on 22 January 1894. The premiere was conducted by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...

, another eminent Russian composer, who declared the work "marvellous, noble, expressive". Later, Glazunov's daughter, Elena Glazunov-Gunther, would tell her biographer that the Fourth Symphony was the favorite Glazunov symphony in Europe, while the Fifth
Symphony No. 5 (Glazunov)
The Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 55 , was written by Alexander Glazunov from April to October of 1895. Although in this symphony Glazunov returned to his conventional four-movement layout he avoids theme transformation...

was favored in America.
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