7/29/2019 Les Cinq Russes
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CuiBorodineGlinkaBalakierevMussorgskyKorsakovGlazunovMikhail
Glinka (18041857), one of the first significant Russian
composersAlexander Glazunov (18651936), late Romantic composer
influenced by Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt, one
of the few composers ever to write a saxophone concerto
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev(2 January 1837 [O.S. 21 December
1836] 29 May [O.S. 16 May] 1910), was a Russian pianist, conductor
and composer known today primarily for his work promoting musical
nationalism and his encouragement of more famous Russian composers,
notably Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He began his career as a pivotal
figure, extendingthe fusion of traditional folk music and
experimental classical music practicesbegun by composer Mikhail
Glinka. In the process, Balakirev developed musical pa
tterns that could express overt nationalistic feeling. After a
nervous breakdownand consequent sabbatical, he returned to
classical music but did not wield thesame level of influence as he
had done previously.In conjunction with critic and fellow
nationalist Vladimir Stasov, in the late-1850s and early 1860s
Balakirev brought together the composers now known as The Fivethe
others were Alexander Borodin, Csar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. For several years, Balakirev was the only
professional musician ofthe group; the others were amateurs limited
in musical education but possessingenormous potential. He imparted
to them his musical beliefs, which continued tounderlie their
thinking long after he left the group in 1871, and encouraged their
compositional efforts. While his methods could be dictatorial, the
results ofhis influence were several works which established these
composers' reputationsindividually and as a group. He performed a
similar function for Tchaikovsky at
two points in the latter's careerin 1868-9 with the
fantasy-overture Romeo and Juliet and in 1882-5 with the Manfred
Symphony.As a composer, Balakirev finished major works many years
after he had started them; he began his First Symphony in 1864 but
completed it in 1897. The exceptionto this was his oriental fantasy
Islamey for solo piano, which he composed quickly and remains
popular among virtuosos. Often, the musical ideas normally
associated with Rimsky-Korsakov or Borodin originated in
Balakirev's compositions, which Balakirev played at informal
gatherings of The Five. However, his slowness incompleting works
for the public robbed him of credit for his inventiveness,
andpieces that would have enjoyed success had they been completed
in the 1860s and'70s made a much smaller impact.
The Five
The Five, also known as "The Mighty Handful", a circle of
influential Russian musical nationalists, during the Romantic
period in music:Alexander Borodin (18331887), perhaps best known
for Polovtsian DancesCsar Cui (18351918)Mily Balakirev
(18371910)Modest Mussorgsky (18391881), perhaps best known for
Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald MountainNikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov (18441908), perhaps best known for The Flight of
the Bumb
