Mily Balakirev

Balakirev's music is characterized by vivid orchestral color, exotic Eastern harmonies drawn from his travels in the Caucasus, and a pianistic virtuosity that rivals Liszt. His orchestration is rich and imaginative, his melodic material often drawn from Russian and oriental folk sources. His formal structures can be loose — he was a perfectionist who sometimes couldn't finish what he started — but at its best, his music blazes with color and energy.

He was the spiritual son of Glinka, whose nationalism he championed and extended. He organized the 'Mighty Handful' — Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, and Cui — and for years served as their mentor, taskmaster, and ideological leader. Liszt was a friend and supporter. His influence on Russian music was enormous, even as his own compositions were overshadowed by those of his protégés.

His early career was marked by explosive energy and leadership — organizing concerts, mentoring the Mighty Handful, and championing Russian music. A severe mental breakdown in the late 1860s led to years of withdrawal and religious crisis. He returned to composition slowly, completing his First Symphony decades after starting it. His late works show a more polished, less fiery personality, but his best music retains its original intensity.

Balakirev's piano fantasy Islamey was written specifically to be the most technically difficult piano piece in existence — and for decades, it held that title. Liszt himself reportedly struggled with it. It's a blazing evocation of Caucasian folk dances that remains one of the ultimate tests of pianistic virtuosity.

Balakirev's Symphony No. 1 in C Major took him over 30 years to complete — started in the 1860s, finished in 1897. Despite this tortured gestation, it's a magnificent, underperformed work that deserves a place alongside the symphonies of his more famous protégés.

Balakirev is significantly underperformed relative to his historical importance. Islamey appears on virtuoso piano recitals, and Tamara occasionally surfaces on orchestral programs, but his symphonies are rare. He's a classic case of a composer overshadowed by the very students he nurtured. Any performance of his orchestral or symphonic works is an event worth attending.