Balakirev: Piano Concertos

Leader of the ‘Mighty Handful’ of Russian composers, Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was praised by Rimsky-Korsakov as “an excellent pianist … endowed by nature with a sense of correct harmony and part-writing”, qualities abundantly evident in his two piano concertos, the second of which was completed by Sergey Lyapunov. Brimming with Romantic bravura, rich orchestrations and solo writing that, while distinctive, can often stand comparison with Tchaikovsky, these are highly appealing works. With his Grande Fantaisie on Russian Folksongs, Balakirev made an important contribution to Russian nationalist music. “For a critic, hearing a new pianist with a truly warm, luscious tone is like breathing in the scent of jasmine blooming - a pleasure to be recalled again and again - and so I’m happy to report that from the first note she touched at her Weill Hall recital, Anastasia Seifetdinova was a genuine pleasure to listen to.” New York Concert Review