Orchestral works Vol 13: Symphony No. 6 / The Forest

"This disc demonstrates the very best of Glazunov's output. The symphony is dramatically romantic, with huge tunes and top-drawer orchestration. The accompanying tone poem, no less effectively scored, betrays his tendency to overplay a shallow idea. Alexander Anissimov draws direct performances from his Moscow forces..."
- The Independent - Information (Andrew Clarke), August 12 - 18, 2000

"With 6 Anissimov is back in peak form and certainly beats out the other Russian contenders for the title...Anissimov and his Moscow players give an excellent account of themselves, and the engineers have obliged with truly room-filling volume, taking care to bring out the deep bass and rich, dark coloring so important for a full appreciation of the score. There's nothing subtle about the playing - especially the trenchant low brass - but then save for the central sections there's not much that's subtle about the music either, and Anissimov's exuberant embrace of the outer movements is immensely satisfying.

"But the real reason to buy this may be Anissimov's splendid account of the fantasy The Forest, composed together with The Sea and The Kremlin over the space of three years while Glazounov was in his 20s. Tremolos in the strings set the scene, perhaps an idyllic evening in the forest before the hunters pass through loudly and it takes some time before the tranquil mood of the woods at night can settle down again. ...Those still trying to find a really good Forest on CD need look no further."
- American Record Guide (Stephen J. Haller), July-August, 2000

It is becoming increasingly unnecessary to defend the reputation of Glazunov. He belonged to a generation of Russian composers that was able to benefit from more professional standards of compositional technique, absorbing and helping to create a synthesis of the national, that might sometimes be expressed crudely enough, and the technique of the conservatories, that might sometimes seem facile. Glazunov worked closely with Rimsky-Korsakov, to whom Balakirev, his mother's teacher, had recommended him, and played an important part in the education of a new generation of Russian composers such as Shostakovich.