Anton Rubinstein was a prolific composer. When his brother Nikolay, the founder of the Moscow Conservatory, was asked about his own work as a composer, he denied any great ambition in this field, since his brother had composed enough for both of them. Anton’s works included a score of operas, five piano concertos, half a dozen symphonies, chamber music, songs, piano pieces, and choral works. The ‘Dramatic’ Symphony, the fourth of Rubinstein’s six symphonies, was composed in 1874. Scored for an orchestra similar in size to that used by Mendelssohn, the symphony is rich in both its motifs and its orchestration. It certainly lives up to its title, from the slow, ominous introduction to the angular, fiery fourth movement.