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Mily Balakirev

Balakirev Symphony No. 1 in C major

A symphony that took 33 years from start to finish

Key
C major
Composed
1897
Premiere
1898 St. Petersburg
Duration
About 41 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 3·2·3·2 (3rd flute doubles piccolo; oboe 1, English horn 1) · Brass 4·2·3·1 · Timpani · Percussion (triangle, cymbals, snare drum, bass drum) · Harp · Strings

The story behind this piece

Balakirev was the leader of the "Russian Five," who conducted the premieres of the first symphonies by Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov and suggested Manfred to Tchaikovsky. Yet his own Symphony No. 1 he started in 1864 and, after writing a good part of it by 1866, simply stopped. After a nervous breakdown in 1871, he left music for a while and even worked as a railway clerk.

He picked it up again in the 1890s and only finished it in 1897, so it took more than 30 years. It premiered in 1898 under Balakirev himself.

Listen · Score

Credits