Biography
Alexander Glazunov — composer with roots in the Russian Empire
Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936) composed eight symphonies and the beloved ballet Raymonda before fleeing Soviet Russia in 1928. A student of Rimsky-Korsakov and director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he bridged the Mighty Five and 20th-century modernism.
"Left the USSR in 1928 for Paris under guise of attending a concert tour, never returned."
Migration storyRussian Connection
Tracing the roots — St. Petersburg
Glazunov was the St. Petersburg Conservatory's director for nearly two decades, shaping Russian musical education under both the Empire and early Soviet rule before permanent exile.
Family Tree
Subject
Alexander Glazunov🇫🇷 France
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Self (Born there)
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Origin
St. Petersburg🇷🇺 Russian Empire
Historical context
Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917
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St. Petersburg. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
8 Symphonies including the celebrated No. 5 in B-flat
02
Ballet Raymonda (1898) still in Bolshoi repertoire
03
Director of St. Petersburg Conservatory 1905–1928
04
Championed Shostakovich's early admission to the Conservatory
05
Honorary doctorate from Oxford and Cambridge (1907)
Sources