Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936) wrote his Symphony No.2 in F# minor, Op.16 in 1886, dedicating it to the memory of Franz Liszt who had died that summer. The 21-year-old composer opens the work with a powerful unison theme that undergoes transformation across the symphony's four movements, drawing on the heroic style of Borodin while already displaying Glazunov's own mastery of orchestral color and form. The Mazurka in G major, Op.18 (1888) offers a poetic interpretation of the Polish folk dance. Its montage-like structure juxtaposes contrasting musical ideas with refined elegance, making it one of the most appealing of Glazunov's shorter orchestral pieces. "From Darkness to Light" (Ot mraka ka svetu), Op.53 (1894), dedicated to Ferruccio Busoni, is a large-scale orchestral fantasy in a single movement. Rich polyphonic processes and fervent chromaticism drive the music from the shadow of B minor toward the luminous arrival in C major — a journey from darkness to light that gives the work its evocative title. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, under its principal conductor Tadaaki Otaka, recorded these works at Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, in 1999.