Intermezzo No.1 in F sharp minor
Intermezzo No.2 in G major
Kalinnikov’s death from tuberculosis at the age of 35 cut short what could have been one of the finest careers in 20th Century Russian music. He was a protégé of Tchaikovsky at the Moscow Conservatoire and his music is at times reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s but with a distinctive personal flavour derived from Russian folksong. His lovely First Symphony is still frequently played; a Second Symphony and some incidental music to Alexei Tolstoy's "Tzar Boris" hover on the fringes of the repertoire. These two Intermezzi dating from 1896 and 1897 encapsulate his musical style. Based on traditional Russian melodies, the influences of Borodin and Balakirev are clearly to be heard, and while these two miniatures may not be Kalinnikov's most individual works, they carry an extra poignancy through their hints at a genius which was never to be fulfilled.
R.G. Bratby 1995
Copyright Classical Notes.co.uk 2000
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