Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev

Short biography Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was born on 2 January 1837 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and died on 29 May 1910 in St Petersburg. He received piano tuition from an early age and was introduced to professional musical life through the music scholar Alexander Ulybischev, though he never underwent formal conservatoire training. From the 1850s onwards he was active in St Petersburg as a pianist, conductor and, above all, as an influential champion of a distinctly Russian musical tradition. During the 1860s he founded the Free Music School in St Petersburg and for a period directed the concerts of the Russian Musical Society.

Historical placement Balakirev is regarded as the leading figure of the so-called 'Mighty Handful' (Moguchaya kuchka), a group of Russian composers who sought to create a national music independent of the Western European academic tradition. His style combines Romantic harmony with Russian and Oriental folk melodies, and proved seminal to the development of Russian nationalist music in the nineteenth century. As an intermediary between Glinka and the succeeding generation of composers, he occupies a key position in the history of Russian music.

Personal connections Alexander Borodin was a member of the Mighty Handful under Balakirev's leadership and maintained a close compositional exchange with him. César Cui likewise belonged to the circle around Balakirev and collaborated closely with him. Modest Mussorgsky was substantially fostered by Balakirev and profoundly influenced in his compositional development. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a further member of the Handful and worked under Balakirev's formative guidance. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was in sporadic contact with Balakirev; the programmatic idea behind Tchaikovsky's overture-fantasy Romeo and Juliet originated with a suggestion from Balakirev. Mikhail Glinka is regarded as a major compositional model, whose national legacy Balakirev consciously sought to continue.

Important works

Islamey – piano piece / Oriental Fantasy (1869)
Tamara – symphonic poem (1882)
Sinfonie Nr. 1 c-Moll – symphony (1897, rev. 1900)
Sinfonie Nr. 2 d-Moll – symphony (1908)
Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 fis-Moll – concerto (1855, unfinished)
Ouvertüre über russische Volksthemen – orchestral work (1858, rev. 1881)
Ouvertüre über das Thema eines spanischen Marsches – orchestral work (1857)
Russland (originally '1000 Jahre') – symphonic poem (1864, rev. 1887)
Klaviersonate b-Moll – sonata (1905)
Romances – songs for voice and piano (various years)