Credits:

Russian Philharmonic Orchestra

Description:

The piano concertos by Balakirev (18371910), known for his brilliant and technically demanding miniatures such as Islamey, were surprisingly poignant and melancholic. Both works were composed during his youth: the First Concerto was written when he was 18, and the Second when he was around 24. The Second Piano Concerto was left unfinished; although he resumed work on it in 1909, it was ultimately never completed (it was later completed by his student, Lyapunov). The First Concerto, with its slight awkwardness that actually evokes a bittersweet sense of youth, and the Second Concerto, in which the poignancy and brilliance of the Adagio movement stand out (particularly the soaring, repeated chords at the climax, which may even surpass those of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky)both are well worth listening to. The Grand Fantasia on Russian Folk Songs has undoubtedly made a significan