Symphony No. 3 in A minor, 'Unfinished' (completed and orchestrated by Glazunov): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score

Borodin's orchestration is superb, and having Glazunov's completion in hand gives you a finished work to conduct without the awkward explanations or scholarly editions. This is a rich, lyrical symphony that sounds substantial even at two movements, the first movement has genuine dramatic weight, and the Andante is gorgeously crafted for strings. Programming it signals sophistication and gives your orchestra a chance to inhabit genuinely Russian musical language.

Romantic Russian sentiment saturates both movements. The first opens with yearning and develops into a passionate, occasionally turbulent exploration before settling into resignation. The second movement, a tender orchestration of chamber writing, feels like gazing across steppes at sunset: vast, quiet, and tinged with melancholy. Together, they create a sense of incompleteness that somehow feels intentional.

Conductors leading advanced high school or collegiate orchestras who want to expand beyond standard symphonic repertoire into the Russian nationalist tradition. This score suits ensembles comfortable with lush orchestration and lyrical, song-based themes rather than dense counterpoint.

• Shape the opening A minor theme with plenty of space; Borodin's melodies breathe. Avoid pushing the tempo forward even when the harmony suggests momentum.
• Balance the woodwind doublings carefully in the first movement exposition. The flute and clarinet often move in parallel, and clarity requires restraint from the inner voices.
• Let the second movement live in its cello and first violin relationship. This movement is intimate despite the full orchestra; soloists should sing as if in chamber music, not compete for projection.
• Attend closely to dynamic shading across the score. Borodin rarely asks for fff or ppp, preferring subtle gradations that require coordination between sections.

Pair this with works by Borodin's contemporaries (Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov) to build a Russian nationalist concert, or slot it into a 19th-century symphonic survey where it stands as a compelling alternative to German Romantic models. Its two-movement structure makes it an elegant choice for a concert that needs substantive but not exhausting repertoire.

• Balancing mixed ensemble textures without masking inner voices
• Conducting lyrical, song-based themes with architectural shape
• Interpreting Russian harmonic language and its deviations from Western European norms
• Coordinating strings as both accompaniment and solo vehicle within a single movement