astonishing
As early as 1882, audiences acclaimed the premiere of the first symphony by Alexander Glazunov, who was just 16 years old. The Niederrheinische Sinfoniker, under the baton of their principal conductor Mihkel Kütson, now present an extremely attractive selection from the early composer's extensive oeuvre, in which the folk-typical national Russian elements of the "Mighty Little Group" combine most advantageously with Tchaikovsky's Central European-influenced tonal language.

classical
Glazunov calls his 7th Symphony "Pastoral", and the parallel to Beethoven - especially in the bucolic opening movement - is unmistakable. The still young man has mastered his compositional tools, acquired from Balakirev and Rimsky-Korssakov, to perfection: motif processing, counterpoint and cyclical form combine to form a convincing whole that also unfolds magnificent splendour in the rousing finale.