Arensky’s early Piano Concerto in F minor is delightful, and astonishingly well put together for a student piece. The first movement in particular has such...

Arensky’s early Piano Concerto in F minor is delightful, and astonishingly well put together for a student piece. The first movement in particular has such attractive thematic material that it never hangs fire, though it surely benefits from this propulsive and dynamic performance, with both Yablonsky and Sherbakov putting a full measure of romantic fire into their interpretation. The Fantasia on Russian Folk Songs is more Tchaikovsky-like (the concerto is Chopin/Liszt with mellower scoring), while the other two works are attractive fluff. The engineering is the only minor disappointment—overly bright and somewhat studio-bound—but such is the interest of the piano and orchestra works in these passionate performances that it doesn’t preclude a recommendation.

-- David Hurwitz,ClassicsToday.com [4/2011]