Glazunov’s Third symphony is far less stylistically assured than its immediate predecessor, a fact acknowledged even by his most ardent supporters, including Rimsky-Korsakov. When it’s not casting about for outside influences (Borodin, Wagner) it settles into a formulaic blandness that is decidedly second-rate (as in the oh-so-typical Russian symphonic finale). The Andante, with its ecstatic Tristan-derived chromaticism, is the work’s saving grace. However, the symphony’s lackluster impression certainly isn’t helped by Valeri Polyansky’s rather generalized and uninvolved conducting, nor by Chandos’ distant and over-reverberant recording, which presents a strangely limited dynamic range while turning much of the rhythmic detail into mush.
Polyansky seems a good deal more interested in the two Concert Waltzes (Glazunov’s clever imitations of Tchaikovsky and Johann Strauss Jr.), and likewise his Russian State Symphony, which plays these pieces with a genuine sense of delight. It’s nice filler, but unfortunately the main offering is nothing special.
