About this Recording

‘This boxed set of the piano music of Balakirev really is complete: everything that he wrote for the piano is here, including some unpublished and previously unknown work; where there was enough material to start with I have also completed the unfinished works, and made a transcription of Balakirev’s great symphonic poem, Tamara, a work of great sensuality and thrilling virtuosity, inspired by the fact that he used to play it on the piano to his friends long before he wrote a note of it down.

I think it’s no exaggeration to say that without Balakirev Russian music would have been very different: hugely admired both as pianist and composer – particularly of the still challenging Islamey – he was so generous with his time that he neglected his own composing, some works existing for years only in his head as piano improvisations.

Balakirev’s music is a rich cocktail of Russia, Liszt, Chopin and the Orient. The music is also sophisticated, elegant and warm. One falls more and more in love with it, snatches of melody persisting in the memory long after hearing.

Thanks to all at Naxos, Jeremy Hayes, Ben Connellan, my wife and my brother for their support and encouragement.’ – Nicholas Walker