The issue of this CD by NAXOS is welcome. They have made available a number of compositions by lesser known Russian composers such as Lyapunov, Glazunov , Balakirev and Arensky. The works on this CD are from the tail end of the romantic period.

The first piano concerto is sensitively lyrical but with majestic intervals and a triumphant ending. It is not very ambitious but pleasant listening. The second concerto is more complex, definitively romantic, with nimble piano cadenzas and double glissandos. Tsintsabadze's playing is commanding, precise and masterfully timed. The orchestra, conducted by Yablonsky also deserves praise.

The third piece, Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes, is by far easiest to like on first hearing. It starts very gently with a pastoral theme, followed by a playful second theme. The third theme features a Cossack dance before the first theme is more forcefully presented again to usher in the end. This is an inventive and delightful piece with a strong Lisztian influence.

Violin Concerto Symphony No.1