Discounting the ballets, there are only three pieces of stage music in Glazunov's catalog, and this is by far the largest scale. It was written in 1913 for a religious mystery play written by the Tsar's younger brother, Grand Duke Konstantin, who was probably inspired by the success of Debussy's Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. First performed in January 1914 at the Hermitage and thereafter at various Russian and European venues by Glazunov, it had some popular success. The music runs approximately one hour and seems to drag somewhat in performance, but may have been more digestible when broken up by the on-stage action.

Structured in a number of entr'actes with orchestral or choral interspersions, the music has little to recommend it to even the most admiring of Glazunov's adherents. Thoroughly Russian it certainly is—to the extent of being ponderous on occasion. The composer stated the whole work was held together by a unifying theme representing Christ on the Cross. If that is the case, it must be a Russian equivalent of Elgar's Enigma Variations, since assiduous listening has failed to identify the existence of such a theme. However, the final chorus, the Psalm of the Believers, of which Glazunov was enormously proud, does something to lift a mediocre piece with its lyrical theme and effective counterpoint. There is nothing wrong with the music—it just doesn't stir one as some of the composer's other work does.

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