Although Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (Naxos 8.557257) has become the most popular of all Russian concertos, his Piano Concerto No. 2 is arguably the more cohesive. With a lyrical slow movement containing prominent solos for the violin and cello, effectively turning the work into a concerto for piano trio, and an explosive finale marked Allegro con fuoco, the concerto demands a pianist who can play with both unbridled virtuosity and intense poetry. The two-movement Concert Fantasy, with its distinctive thematic ideas and colourful orchestration, including glockenspiel and tambourine, has been unaccountably neglected. This disc completes Konstantin Scherbakov’s cycle of Tchaikovsky’s complete works for piano and orchestra.