Sergei Lyapunov is well known in the history of Russian music as a composer, pianist and pedagogue. A graduate of the Moscow Conservatoire, a Taneyev's pupil, he lived most part of his life in Si. Petersburg, became close with the Rimsky Korsakov and Stasov's circle, and especially with Balakirev, who became Lyapunov's friend and preceptor.

Symphony No. 2, written in 1917 was premiered only thirly-four years later by the Leningrad Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of E. Mravinsky.

The author's notes give us the opportunity to follow the exact dates of each symphony's movement. II was created during the whole 1917, finished in December in that uneasy time, and maybe, this fact brought some specific accents into epic sounding of his music. But as a whole, the symphony is connected with Russian music of the last century tradition.

In 1909 Ihe centenary of F. Chopin's birth was celebrated. These tests caused the creation of S. Lyapunov's symphonic poem "Zelazowa Wola". In his foreword to the score the author wrote of his desire to revive "folk and musical atmosphere, surrounding the great misician in his childhood", perceiving his native land image in its initial purity and simplicity".