BALAKIREV, Mily
b Nizhny-Novgorod, 2 January 1837
d St Petersburg, 29 May 1910, aged seventy-three

Largely self-taught in music, he entered the University of Kazan as a mathematics student. In 1855 he went to St Petersburg and met Glinka, whose spiritual heir he became. In 1862 he organised the founding of the Russian Free School of Music, becoming the father-figure of the 'Mighty Handful' otherwise known as 'The Five' - Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Glazounov and Cui. In 1867 he became principal conductor of the Russian Music Society, and in 1883 director of music at the Imperial Chapel. In 1894 he resigned from this post and spent the rest of his life composing.
1852 (15)
Grand Fantaisie on Russian Folksongs, for piano and orchestra
Septet for flute, clarinet, strings and piano
1854 (17)
String Quartet, Quatuor original russe (1854-5)
c1855 (c18)
Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor
'Three Forgotten Songs'
1855-6 (18-19)
Octet for flute, oboe, horn, strings and piano
1858 (21)
Overture on Russian Themes
1858-65 (21-8)
Twenty songs
1861 (24)
Piano Concerto No 2 begun: resumed 1909; completed by Liadov
1866-98 (29-61)
Symphony No 1 in C major
1867 (30)
Overture on Czech themes
Thamar, symphonic poem
(1867-82)
1869 (32)
fp Islamey, piano fantasy
1884 (47)
Russia, symphonic poem
1895-6 (58 9)
Ten songs
1903-4 (66-7)
Ten songs
1905 (68)
Piano Sonata in B minor
1907-08 (70-1)
Symphony No 2 in D minor
1910 (73)
Suite on pieces by Chopin