If Sergei Lyapunov is remembered at all nowadays, it is probably for his Transcendental Studies, consciously modelled on those of Liszt (and recorded by Malcolm Binns on Pearl—5/92). But he was also a solid composer of orchestral works, his output including two symphonies which can be ranged alongside those of Glazunov, Gliere and his teacher Taneyev as characteristic products of Russia's pre-revolution 'Silver Age'. The presiding spirits in the First Symphony are Borodin and Tchaikovsky, and the warmth of Lyapunov's lyrical invention at times brings him into coincidental proximity with Elgar (try the first few minutes of the slow movement). If he lacks the individuality, structural initiative and concentration of such masters, there is nevertheless no doubting his craftsmanly control or his instinct for ingratiating melody and well-blended orchestration. The same qualities may be found in the Ballada, which despite the misleading opus number actually post-dates the symphony.
The recording was made in February this year and manages to combine the recessed spaciousness of the classic Soviet recordings of the 1960s and 1970s with a cleanness and clarity they rarely achieved (some edits remain clearly audible, however). Much the same could be said of the playing—excellently prepared, generous in expression yet retaining the best features of the national tradition. Fans of the non-hysterical tendency in Russian music will find much to enjoy here.'