Album insights
In the forty-four years separating the two works of this recording, Russian musical life underwent remarkable developments. Nationalistic composers emerged, expanding the music scene beyond the aristocracy and the court to reach a broader bourgeois audience. Beginning with the reign of Peter the Great (1682–1725), Western European influences gradually infiltrated Russian cultural life. By 1731, Italian operas were being staged in St. Petersburg, followed by the arrival of a French ensemble in 1764. Some Russian composers honed their craft in Italy, leading to a degree of "Russification" as Russian folk songs gained popularity. During the early nineteenth century, St. Petersburg resembled other cosmopolitan European cities, hosting performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute in 1797, as well as regular shows of Italian and French operas, including works by Rossini, Cherubini, Méhul, and Boieldieu. The establishment of the Philharmonic Society in 1802 facilitated performances of major choral works like Haydn's Creation and The Seasons, as well as the premiere of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in 1824. Additionally, noble amateur musicians frequently organized chamber music salons.
Following Alexander II's ascent to the throne (1855–1881), significant changes took place in various realms of Russian life, notably the abolition of serfdom in 1861. The Imperial Russian Musical Society, founded two years prior, opened a conservatory in 1860 with Tchaikovsky among its initial students. In contrast to the institution's German-oriented music tradition, the Free Music School was established in 1862, prioritizing Russian style under the leadership of Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. Concerts featuring Russian compositions and works by influential figures such as Berlioz, Schumann, and Liszt were regularly organized. By 1876, Glinka and Dargomyzhsky had passed away, leaving behind completed works like Borodin's first two symphonies, Balakirev's Islamey, and Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. Rimsky-Korsakov had gained acclaim for an opera and three symphonies; the critic Vladimir Stasov, in 1867, coined the term "The Mighty Handful" to describe five composers deemed preservers of Russia's future musical glory.
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, born into a landowning family near Smolensk, spent most of his early years in St. Petersburg, except for a visit to the Caucasus from 1817 to 1830. He excelled as a singer and pianist, receiving tutelage from John Field thrice, impressing Hummel, whose piano style notably influenced his Grand Sextet. Despite limited music theory knowledge, he composed several songs and emulated classical forms in chamber music pieces. In 1830, his travels to Italy introduced him to figures like Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Bellini, and Donizetti, greatly influencing his work. Glinka's circumstances and inspirations behind the creation of the Grand Sextet are detailed in his 1854 memoir "My Life." A pivotal moment occurred at Lake Maggiore, where his emotional ties led him towards a newfound desire to compose in a distinct Russian style. Subsequently journeying north to Vienna and Berlin in 1834, Glinka received formal education for the first time before returning to Russia. His compositions, "A Life for the Tsar," followed by "Ruslan and Lyudmila," spearheaded a new era in Russian music.
The first movement, marked Allegro in the Grand Sextet, introduces a bold piano theme setting the stage for its prominent solo role throughout the work. It navigates a conventional sonata form with an elegant primary theme and an expressive secondary theme initiated by the cello. Notably, the recapitulation reintroduces the secondary theme in the tonic parallel (C major), a device revisited in the finale.
The Andante transitions into a charming G major serenade featuring a gypsy-style violin interlude in its middle section, seamlessly leading into the Finale (Allegro con spirito). This spirited movement, also structured in sonata form, embodies three key themes: the first characterized by syncopated accents, the second with an overtly operatic accompaniment, and the third offering the sole authentic "Russian" motif of the composition – a prolonged melody rooted in modal tonality, evading resolution in a specific key.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the youngest member of "The Mighty Handful," and likely the most technically adept, underwent a relatively unsystematic musical upbringing while serving in the navy until 1873. His Quintet in B major emerged during a period of creative drought as he explored counterpoint studies. In his memoir "Chronicle of My Musical Life," Rimsky-Korsakov narrates his experience composing the quintet for piano and wind instruments as an entry in a Russian Musical Society competition in 1876. Despite the piece's favorable reception by the audience at a later concert, it went unnoticed by the jury, overshadowed by Napravnik's Trio. The first movement, styled in the tradition of Beethoven, features distinct themes – a lively motif introduced by the bassoon and a hymnal melody reserved for the winds. Similar to Glinka’s work, the development section comprises recurring passages in varied keys.
The Andante, set in B major, unfolds with a horn melody employing a typical Russian technique of repeating phrases against varying harmonic backdrops. After a somber clarinet phrase in a minor key, Rimsky-Korsakov ventures into a convincing fugal section, concluding with a return to the initial theme. The Rondo finale revolves around a lively motif supported by playful bassoon accompaniment. As the theme reprises, individual instruments partake in cadenzas tailored to their distinct characteristics, excluding the bassoon.