Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major

Work background

Researched classical background

Glazunov dedicated his Fourth Symphony to Anton Rubinstein. It has three movements rather than the four customary in his other completed symphonies. A slow introduction presents material that continues to matter later, and a central scherzo supplies a lighter contrast. The closing movement reconnects the symphony's ideas, so the absence of a separate slow movement is part of its design.