Balakirev, Mily Alekseevich 1837 - 1910
Author: Nohara, Yasuko
Last updated：May 1, 2007
Author: Nohara, Yasuko
Russian composer. Born in Nizhny Novgorod. He displayed musical talent from an early age and studied piano while attending a school for nobles. In 1855, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he met Glinka and Dargomyzhsky. Cui (1855), Mussorgsky (1856), and laterRimsky-Korsakov andBorodin (1861) gathered around Balakirev, leading to the formation of the so-called Balakirev Group ('The Mighty Handful'). In contrast to the 'Westernizers,' such asAnton Rubinstein who were active during the same period, they called themselves the 'New Russian School' and developed their activities based in St. Petersburg, aiming for a national art that expressed Russian reality and national aspirations. The members, with the exception of Balakirev, were initially noble dilettantes with other professions; Balakirev dedicated himself to their musical education, helping their talents to blossom. In 1862, at Balakirev's initiative, the Free Music School was established as a counterpoint to the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the stronghold of the 'Westernizers' (Balakirev assumed the directorship in 1868). Balakirev conducted concerts organized by the school, actively featuring new works by the Balakirev Group, compositions by Glinka and Dargomyzhsky whom they admired, and works by early Romantics (such as Berlioz, Schumann, and Liszt). Furthermore, folk songs collected along the Volga River (from 1860) and in the Caucasus region (from 1862) were used as material for his compositions, and his experiences in these regions became the impetus for his richly orientalist masterpiece Islamey and the symphonic poem Tamara. In 1869, due to conflicts with patrons, he resigned from the music school, and in the 1970s, he experienced a mental and physical crisis. His companions also began to pursue their own paths, and by the mid-1970s, 'The Handful' had effectively dissolved. In 1881, he was reinstated as director and resumed his conducting activities. He also served as director of the Imperial Court Chapel Choir (1882–94), but in his later years, his influence waned, and he dedicated himself to revising his older works while living a reclusive life.
Works(54)
Concerto (1)
concerto (2)
Concerto for piano and orchestra No.1 Op.1
Key: fis-moll Composed in: 1855 Playing time: 13 min 00 sec
Piano Solo (20)
sonata (2)
scherzo (3)
etude (2)
fantasy (4)
Fantasy on a Theme of "A Life for the Tsar" (2nd version)
Composed in: 1899 Playing time: 12 min 20 sec
mazurka (7)
waltz (5)
nocturne (4)
character pieces (4)
Reduction/Arrangement (1)
Glinka: Spanish Overture No.1 - ''Capriccio brillante on the Jota aragonesa'' (for Piano solo)
Playing time: 9 min 30 sec
Various works (3)
Piano Ensemble (2)
Reduction/Arrangement (1)
Glinka: Spanish Overture No.1 - ''Capriccio brillante on the Jota aragonesa'' (for Piano 4 hands)
Playing time: 9 min 30 sec
Various works (2)
Lied (1)
Folk and ethnic music arrangements (2)
etc (2)
Concerto (1)