The Seasons

Glazunov almost did not write The Seasons, planning the ballet Harlequinade until he and Riccardo Drigo realized a mutual affinity for each other’s subject and swapped accordingly. First heard in St. Petersburg on February 23, 1900, the work has four tableaux. In “Winter,” an atmospheric introduction features a melody heard in variations evoking frost, ice, hail, and snow, then a coda combining all four. In “Spring,” a continuous passage depicts the gradual emerging of zephyrs, fairies, birds, and flowers for a scenic panorama. In “Summer,” a brief prelude sets the scene for waltzing cornflowers and poppies, followed by an easeful barcarolle for naiads, satyrs, and fauns, a plaintive variation for corn, and then an animated coda. In “Autumn,” the energetic bacchanale recalls earlier seasons before a soulful “Little Adagio,” a stealthy variation for the satyr, then the bacchanale’s joyful return and ominous foretaste of “Winter” before a triumphal apotheosis looks to the starry heavens. With its roots in Delibes and Adam, the ballet was highly successful and is still among Glazunov’s most popular works.