The Northern Flowers are happy to announce the completion of our latest important musical project. On May 10, in Lutheran St.Catherine’s Church in Vassilievsky Ostrov, we completed the recording of all of the songs by Alexander Constantinovich Glazunov. No one has done such work before, and music lovers are now getting a much broader access to works of this remarkable Russian composer. In cooperation with the A.C.Glazunov Foundation (www.glasunow.org) we intend to release this program soonest on a CD, in our St.Petersburg Musical Archive series.
The performers are excellent and well–known Petersburg singers Victoria Evtodieva (soprano), Lyudmila Shkirtil (mezzo–soprano), and Mikhail Lukonin (baritone), and Yuri Serov (piano). The selection comprises 30 romances and songs, that is, all Glazunov’s finished vocal pieces written between 1881 and 1916.v We will revert to the discussion of Glazunov’s personality and creative achievements in our future projects, but it can be said right away that this work with the composer’s vocal heritage has already given real joy to all those involved in the project. It is understood that Glazunov’s enormous composing genius, his admirable personal qualities, and his devoted loyalty (so rare nowadays) to the Conservatoire of St.Petersburg during his presidency, deserve a much deeper study and attention by performing musicians and music lovers. In the nearest future, the Northern Flowers will record an anthology of organ music of Alexander Glazunov, his piano compositions, and string quartets.