Rimsky Korsakov Great Orchestral Works

Mily Balakirev learned his craft from local musicians. Conductor Karl Eisrich introduced Balakirev to the music of Chopin, Glinka, and Alexander Ulybyshev, a music loving landowner who maintained a vast library of musical scores. In 1855, Balakirev composed his Piano Fantasia on Themes from Glinka's a Life for the Tsar, and Ulybyshev took Balakirev to St. Petersburg to meet Glinka himself. Glinka appreciated Balakirev's talent, and offered advice and encouragement. Balakirev enjoyed a brilliant debut as a pianist in St. Petersburg, and in 1858 performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in the presence of the Tsar. In April 1858, Balakirev fell ill with "brain fever"; although he recovered, he would suffer from lifelong headaches, nervousness, and depression. With the deaths of both Glinka and Ulybyshev, Balakirev decided to carry on their ideas ………..

from Allmusic

All the best of classical music included in this collection is based on the survey of more than 70,000 musicians that are directly related to the classics!

”IRR Outstanding” International Record Review, October 2013: ”This wonderful recording is a delight. Throughout, Sharon Bezaly declares herself to be consistently a superb player – technically without peer, her musicianship is of the highest order over a surprisingly wide range of music, and she is partnered most admirably by Neeme Järvi and the excellent Dutch orchestra. … this disc is a palpable ’hit’ and I recommend it with considerable enthusiasm.”

The great Bohemian-born composer Gustav Mahler once said, "A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything." Over the course of its nearly 300-year life, the symphony has indeed embraced almost every trend to be found in Western concert music.