Leader of the ‘Mighty Handful’ of Russian composers, Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was praised by Rimsky-Korsakov as “an excellent pianist … endowed by nature with a sense of correct harmony and part-writing”, qualities abundantly evident in his two piano concertos, the second of which was completed by Sergey Lyapunov. Brimming with Romantic bravura, rich orchestrations and solo writing that, while distinctive, can often stand comparison with Tchaikovsky, these are highly appealing works. With his Grande Fantasie on Russian Folksongs, Balakirev made an important contribution to Russian nationalist music.