Alexander Glasunow

The Seasons op. 67 No. 3: Summer (L'ete)

The ballet THE SEASONS (LES SAISONS), Op. 67 was composed by Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) for famous choreographer Marius Petipa in 1899. Originally intended to be written by Glazunov's friend Riccardo Drigo, the two composers swapped projects so that Glazunov wrote THE SEASONS while Drigo composed LES MILLIONS D'ARLEQUIN. The cast of THE SEASONS consists of various types of season weather, fauna and flora associated with some seasons, and Bacchus, Bacchante, the Faun, and Satyrs of Greek mythology. The work consists of four tableaus, one for each season. The ballet premiered on February 20, 1900, in St. Petersburg at the Hermitage Imperial Theatre by the Orchestra of the Imperial Theatre, Riccardo Drigo conducting. Instrumentation for Summer: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(4): Hp.Pno: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set). Edwin F. Kalmus publishes each tableau separately, so a performance of the complete ballet requires the following: 1. Winter (A147502); 2. Spring (A517902); 3. Summer (A517802); 4. Autumn (A147602). Reprint edition.