Alexander Paley - Balakirev: Complete Piano Works (2011)

If you're already a fan of Russian music of the Imperial Age, you already know at least the name Mily Balakirev, the living link between Glinka, the father of Russian music, and Mussorgsky, Borodin, and Rimsky-Korsakov, the composer who sacrificed much of his composing time to his pupils and part of his life to his insanity, but who nevertheless turned out indubitable masterpieces in several genres. The First Symphony and the symphonic poem Tamara are probably his best-known orchestral works, but his best-known single work in any genre is certainly his Islamy, the piece of pseudo-ethnic, super-virtuoso sex-dance music that Russian pianists still occasionally trot out as an encore. If you're already a fan of Balakirev, you probably know not only Islamy but his stupendous B flat minor Sonata and possibly a seductive Nocturne or a sly waltz or even a moody mazurka or two. And if you're already a fan of Balakirev, you probably already have these fine performances by Alexander Paley of all Balakirev's piano music from their first release on Richard Kapp's Ess. a. y. Records in 1993. While by no means the greatest performances of the best-known works ever recorded -- after all, everyone from Claudio Arrau to György Cziffra has already recorded Islamy -- Paley's performances were nonetheless entirely persuasive on their own terms in the best-known works and completely convincing all by themselves in the barely known works. If you're already a fan of Russian music of the Imperial Age and you already know all the best-known orchestral and operatic works and you are eager to know more, Paley's set of Balakirev is well worth hearing. Kapp's sound was clear and bracing in its day and still sounds fine in this Brilliant reissue.