Despite prominent advocates, Kalinnikov is little known outside of Russia today - a circumstance that Mihkel Kutson and the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker are now finally changing.

Vasily Kalinnikov was not quite 35 years of age when he died of tuberculosis in 1901. Tchaikovsky was enthusiastic about his musical talents and Rachmaninov even travelled to the Crimea especially to get his manuscripts prepared for publication before he died.

Russian folk themes colour Kalinnikov's entire compositional output. His First Symphony is therefore frequently performed in Russia. The piece is orchestrated to great effect with finely crafted counterpoint and many beautiful solos in the woodwind and brass.

The two Intermezzi include themes that could easily be mistaken for traditional Russian folk music. One of Kalinnikov's earliest works is Serenade for Strings and the symphonic poem Le Cedre et le Palmier ("Cedar and Palm") based on a poem by Heinrich Heine, represents his last completed work - one of the composer's few pieces of programmatic music.

This recording by the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker under the baton of Mihkel Kutson reveals the great loss of Vasily Kalinnikov's untimely death - the music world was dearly robbed of more of his masterpieces! As a modest consolation, this production is produced in the very finest Super Audio CD technology, lovingly mixed and crafted with the utmost care - a musical gem that is as rare as it is precious!