Alexander Glazunov’s allegorical one-act ballet, The Seasons, Op. 67, depicts nature’s cycle of death and rebirth. The deep frigid sleep of winter gives way to the blossoms of youth and sunshine. The ballet concludes with the abundance of autumn. It is a vibrant and celebratory bacchanale amid falling leaves.
A student of Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov (1865–1936) was a Romanticist who painted with shimmering tonal colors. His symphonic ballet scores continued in the tradition of Tchaikovsky. While composing The Seasons in 1899, Glazunov collaborated with choreographer Marius Petipa. The ballet was premiered on February 20, 1900 at St Petersburg’s Imperial Theatre of the Hermitage, Winter Palace.
Here is the fourth and final Tableau of The Seasons. In a blinding flash of brilliant color, it erupts into the autumnal bacchanale, punctuated by the festive rattle of the tambourine. The violins play in their extreme highest register, giving us a sense of wild abandon and vast upward expanse. The Adagio pauses for a moment of wistful introspection. Its theme is introduced by the violas and grows into a statement of passionate longing with echoes of Tchaikovsky. The finale skips forward in a jubilant 6/8 time. The glistening Apotheosis leaves us with the vastness of the universe as constellations of stars sparkle above the earth.
I. Autumn: Bacchanale, Petit Adagio:
II. Variation:
III. Finale:
Recordings
- Glazunov: The Seasons, Op. 67, Yevgeni Svetlanov, Philharmonia Orchestra Amazon
Featured Image: “Marie Petipa and Pavel Gerdt in the Bacchanale of the scene L’Automne. (St. Petersburg, 1900)”