Seasons, The, Op. 67, No. 3: Summer (L'ete): Full Orchestra, Ensemble Works, Full Score (EDWIN F KALMUS)

Summer stands apart as a movement of genuine physical exuberance and rhythmic drive that energizes any concert. Glazunov's orchestration here is lean and brilliant, with the harp and woodwinds trading primary voices in ways that keep the texture alive without excess. This is ballet music that reads intelligently on the concert stage and rewards both players and audiences with clear musical logic and memorable melody.

Sunlit, energetic, and sensuously orchestrated. Summer radiates warmth through bright brass, dancing woodwinds, and a harp that catches light like water. The movement never settles into stillness; even its slower moments carry an underlying vitality that feels natural rather than forced.

This score serves orchestras and advanced ensemble programs looking to program a complete ballet or individual movements. It also works well for conductors building a Glazunov-focused concert, as Summer pairs effectively with his other ballet excerpts or his symphonies.

• Balance the harp's accompaniment figures so they support rather than bury the melodic lines in woodwinds and strings; the harp's rhythmic vitality is essential to the movement's character, but transparency matters more than projection.
• Shape the main themes with a sense of forward momentum even in lyrical passages. Glazunov's phrasing tends toward longer lines, so avoid letting rubato fragment what is fundamentally a narrative arc.
• Coordinate the four percussionists carefully during exposed passages; their entrances and releases should feel unified and intentional, never scattered.

Program Summer as a standalone orchestral showpiece when a complete performance of The Seasons isn't feasible, or use it to open a concert focused on late 19th-century Russian ballet music. Its length and brightness make it an excellent opener that establishes energy and sophistication early.

• Balancing harp as both rhythmic and harmonic support in large ensemble textures
• Sustaining melodic line integrity across multiple instrumental choirs
• Coordinating percussion section (4 players) with textural demands
• Reading and executing ballet-derived orchestral phrasing with natural dance-like flow
• Managing Romantic-era orchestral color without sacrificing clarity