1. Ov To Tsar Boris

2. Sym No.2 in A: I. Moderato/Allegro Non Troppo

3. Sym No.2 in A: II. Andante Cantabile

4. Sym No.2 in A: III. Allegro Scherzando

5. Sym No.2 in A: IV. Andante Cantabile/Allegro Vivo

6. The Cedar And The Palm

Vassily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov remains a somewhat obscure composer from the Second Nationalist School outside his native Russia. His associates, such as the non-nationalist composer Sergei Rachmaninov and writer Anton Chekov, are far better known. Perhaps if Kalinnikov had not died from tuberculosis while he was fairly young, he might have earned a permanent place in the international orchestral repertoire.

If you have never heard this Kalinnikov (his brother, Viktor Sergeyevich Kalinnikov, composed sacred music), this symphony and its predecessor are well worth a listen. His style reminds me of Borodin and Glazunov (arguably the most famous member of the Second Nationalist School) with memorable melodies and lush lyricism in a distinctly Russian style. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov did not approve of his blending Western style with Russian music (as Balakirev did not approve of Tchaikovsky's "Western" sound), but I do not understand music well enough to mind what the old master found objectionable. His music is not ground-breaking or unique, but if you like Borodin, Glazunov, Rimsky-Korsakov and other late 19th century Russian composers you will most likely find this symphony a pleasure to listen to.

Until Neeme Jarvi took up Kalinnikov's two symphonies with the Scottish National Orchestra, the only CDs available were of Evgeny Svetlanov's 1967 recording while conducting the USSR Symphony Orchestra. Svetlanov's recordings of Kalinnikov's two symphonies served as my introduction to his works. Since then there has been another recording by Theodore Kutchar leading the Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra that I have never heard. As I already had two copies of Svetlanov's recording (one paired with the First Symphony and another with Intermezzos No. 1 and 2), I didn't think I needed Jarvi's recording. Upon hearing Jarvi's recording of the First Symphony I bought the Second. What an improvement in sound quality over the old Svetlanov version! Jarvi conducts this and other Russian works superbly, and the recording brings out the sonority of the brass, the lushness of the strings, and punctuation that made me say "Wow!" If you only add one recording of Kalinnikov's Second Symphony to your music library, this is the one to get.