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The compositional and emotional elements that distinguish Russian musical culture—its opulence, pathos, lyricism, and more—resonate far and wide. Disc 2 delves into one of these characteristically Russian elements and reveals it to be truly universal: dark passion permeates the music of Dmitry Shostakovich and Anton Arensky, whose respective first piano trios bookend the CD. Music by these composers’ Central European counterparts, Dohnányi and Mahler, echoes Shostakovich’s and Arensky’s turbulent strains.