Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 25
Pièces caractéristiques, Op.50
- Barcarolle in G Minor
- Berceuse in B Minor
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 35

If as a child, you went through the gruelling process of taking piano lessons each and every week, you will more than likely remember having to learn and play the famous (or infamous depending on how much you struggled with it) Melody in F by Russian composer Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894). It was part and parcel of many of the piano method books for beginners back in the 1950s. He was a conductor, pianist, composer and educator (composition teacher of Tchaikovsky), who secured his reputation and legacy when he founded the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1862.

So why is his music generally overlooked these days? It doesn't sound any more pedantic or conservative than any other composer from the 19th century. The fast outer movements of these piano concertos are just as evocative and imposing as Tchaikovsky for example, and the more expressive slow movements very much bring to mind the serene melancholy of Chopin. And grand Piano Concertos are meant to challenge a pianist's technical abilities and expressive wealth. And in this recording, which I believe was captured 'live', Ukrainian-American pianist Anna Shelest certainly displays all of the necessary bravura to harness the wilder passages as well as the emotive tendencies to project the music's expressively stirring moments. She is engaged with the music and always evokes its Slavic pedigree.

Disregard your childhood traumas and reconnect with the music of Anton Rubinstein. It's much more than strictly educational.