Sergey Prokofiev diaries: 10 December 1907

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

25-26

text excerpt

On Friday there was a concert of music by Glazunov.The background to it was that, as part of the Conservatoire's having been granted its independence, it was allowed to set up a canteen which would be completely managed by the student body. Elections were held in the approved manner and a committee formed to run the restaurant. The committee did a first class job, and everything was going splendidly until it was discovered that the enterprise had run up a substantial debt. How precisely this had come about was not clear, but the decision was taken to organize a concert in honour of Glazunov, the proceeds from which would go towards clearing the debt. At this point a serious rift developed between two opposing groups of elected student officers: those on the Canteen Committee and those on the Senior Students' Committee. Each group wanted to demonstrate its authority and its untrammelled right to wield despotic power. There were quarrels and a great deal of abusive language; nevertheless the concert took place and thanks to the presence of such names as Glazunov, Sobinov, Barinova and Malmgren the hall was filled to capacity. The main work on the programme was Glazunov's Seventh Symphony, a work that can give pleasure even after repeated hearings (Rimsky-Korsakov adores it), but is not especially distinctive or individual. 'Assembled, rather than composed,' as Rozovsky put it. Glagoleva* was at the concert, the first time I have seen her at one. She is undoubtedly very beautiful.

excerpt from 'Sergey Prokofiev diaries: 10 December 1907' pp. 25-26 (250 words)

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