Gone are the days, on record at least, when Glazunov was a neglected composer. I think of Stravinsky’s story of meeting Glazunov in the interwar period, when they were both exiles in Paris. He was disconcerted by Glazunov’s cool reception, saying that perhaps he had heard of “my remark that Glazunov was no more than a Carl Philipp Emanuel Rimsky-Korsakov”. That idea of course was quite untrue, when Glazunov’s musical persona was quite different from that of his mentor, Rimsky.

From the formidable list of rival versions of this C minor work, arguably Glazunov’s most powerfully dramatic symphony, dating from 1896, this one from José Serebrier and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is among the very finest. Warm and approachable with Serebrier drawing beautifully moulded playing from the Scottish orchestra, with rubato perfectly judged and with the orchestra as fine and resonant as I have ever heard it, it is vividly recorded in rich, unexaggerated sound.

Glazunov’s lyrical second subjects were always striking, and the one in the first movement here is no exception. The structure is clearly defined with fine thrust from the performers, and with that theme coming thrillingly back fortissimo at the climax of the movement. The theme and seven variations which make up the second movement go with an easy flow, with the brassy climax of the seventh variation well controlled in its dynamic contrasts. The third movement is a charming allegretto with neo-classical overtones, while the finale is the most powerful movement of all with its Borodin echoes at the start and a most ingenious combination of sonata and double-variation form, all of which Serebrier brings out most persuasively.

The fill-ups, though much less powerful, are well worth hearing, two works that vie with the masterpieces of Debussy and Strauss. La mer of 1889 (antedating Debussy) is a richly evocative seascape with the harp very prominent, hardly equalling Debussy’s masterpiece but very attractive, while the Introduction and Dance from Salomé, more conventional than the rest, were from incidental music that Glazunov wrote for a production of the Oscar Wilde play in 1908. There is a powerful gesture at the start of the Introduction with Salomé’s Dance predictably getting faster and faster and with the horn-writing adding to the exotic orientalism. Altogether a splendid issue, adding significantly to Serebrier’s excellent Glazunov series for Warner.