Born: 1855, St. Petersburg, RussiaDied: 1914, Polïnovka, Russia

“Give me a fairy tale, a dragon, a water sprite, a wood demon – give me something that is unreal and I am happy.”

Liadov was notoriously lazy and racked by self-doubt. He was expelled from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1876 for failing to attend his classes. He returned in 1878 to complete his studies and spent most of his professional life teaching there; Prokofiev was one of his students. Liadov also felt insignificant alongside Rimsky-Korsakov, and he had little faith in his own musical ideas. His works, all of them brief, many of them relying on folksongs or melodies by other composers for their inspiration, are filled with atmospheric and imaginative touches.

Further listening:

A Musical Snuffbox (piano, 1893)Stephen Hough (Virgin)

Baba Yaga; Kikimora, etc.BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (Chandos)