Alexander Glazunov

Alexander Glazunov

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...

 composed his Piano Concerto No. 1 in F minor

F minor

F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....

, Opus, 92, in 1911, during his tenure as director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The concerto is dedicated to Leopold Godowsky

Leopold Godowsky

Leopold Godowsky was a famed Polish American pianist, composer, and teacher. One of the most highly regarded performers of his time, he became known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion in piano playing, principles later propagated by Godowsky's...

, whom Glazunov had heard on tour in St. Petersburg in 1905.

Form

The concerto is written in two movements, the second being a theme and variations

Variation (music)

In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...

 forming an amalgam of slow movement, scherzando elements and finale (coda).

1. Allegro moderato
2. Tema con variazoni
   1. Tema (Andante tranquilo)
   2. Variation I
   3. Variation II (chromatica) Andantino
   4. Variation III (Eroica) Allegro moderato)
   5. Variation IV (lyrica) Adagio
   6. Variation V (Intermezzo) Allegro
   7. Variation VI (quasi una fantasia) Lento
      Lento
      Lento is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.It shares the canton of Alto-di-Casaconi with Monte, Volpajola, Campile, Olmo, Prunelli-di-Casacconi, Campitello, Ortiporio, Canavaggia, Bigorno, Scolca, Crocicchia and Penta-Acquatella.-Population:-References:*...
      
      
   8. Variation VII Mazurka
      Mazurka
      The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
      
      : Allegretto
   9. Variation VIII 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...
      
      : Allegro ma non troppo
   10. Variation IX Finale: Allegro moderato

Bibliogrqaphy

• Pott, Francis, Notes for Hyperion CDA66877: Glazunov: Piano Concertos; Goedicke: Concertstück; Stephen Coombs, piano; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...
  
   conducted by Martyn Brabbins
  Martyn Brabbins
  Martyn Brabbins is a British conductor. He studied at Goldsmiths College, London University, and later was a conducting student of Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory....
  
  .