Testimony- The memoirs of Shostakovich, as related to & edited by Solomon Volkov

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text excerpt

I recently listened – for the umpteenth time – to 'Suite from the Middle Ages'. It has nothing to do with the Middle Ages; they would have scorned it. I think the masters were stronger then, even though I like the Suite more than many of Glazunov’s other works. And I suppose I value his Eighth Symphony more than the others, particularly the slow movement. The others contain rather flabby music. Boring, actually. When I listen to his symphonies, I become bored; I keep thinking, let’s have the recapitulation – oh no, it’s still the development. / Glazunov had a lot of trouble with finales, he did not create enough energy or tension. In fact, this characterizes almost all his compositions. I think that a decisive factor in this problem was a misfortune; in his youth Glazunov contracted a venereal disease. He picked it up from some ballerina in the Imperial Maryinsky Theatre. He was awfully unlucky with that ballerina. He fell into a deep depression, they say, and went to Aachen for a cure – that was the famous German resort where all the syphilitics went. He wrote tragic letters from Aachen. They say that this tragic suffering is reflected in the Fourth Quartet. I know the Fourth, naturally, but I don’t hear anything like that in it. In general, I like the Fifth Quartet much more, if it comes to it, even without the venereal suffering. Oh yes, I forgot, I also like parts of 'Raymonda'.

excerpt from 'Testimony- The memoirs of Shostakovich, as related to & edited by Solomon Volkov' pp. 124 (255 words)

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