Here's a bit of intrigue. The failure of Rachmaninov's First Symphony at its premiere in 1897 is habitually blamed on Glazunov's ineptitude as a conductor. But, by 1907 Rachmaninov had written his Second Symphony, whose instant and continuing success can be attributed to a pervasive melody of enormous emotional power. Why, then, did Glazunov incorporate a motif of striking similarity in the first movement of his 1911 Piano Concerto? Glazunov's tune is paler, less keenly felt, than Rachmaninov's, but is this a homage, an apology, or merely a coincidence? I found it so perplexing that the wistful variations in the second and final movement of the concerto passed by almost unnoticed. But there's not a lot to miss. While some of the harmonies have a smudgy, Broadway sensuality, the easy lyricism is frequently banal.

The title of ECM's release of works by three composers born in the former Soviet Union perfectly captures the mood of the CD – it is truly mysterious. Although more than half a century separates the first of these pieces from the most recent, they share a sense of otherness that defies easy explanation. The pieces are not so much mysterious in the sense of being eerie (although there are several moments that might raise the hairs on the back of your neck if you were listening alone in the dark); they are unsettling because they raise more questions than they answer.