Mily Balakirev - Mazurka No. 3 in B Minor (1884-1885)

Mazurka No. 3, was composed by Mily Balakirev between the years of 1884 and 1885, during a time when the Russian Five consisted of Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, but little to no Balakirev. The Belyayev Circle is regnant in the world of Russian music. By the 1880s, The Five, once a light in the center, revolved around Belyayev and his purse. Only Balakirev stayed away, and he earnestly composed in isolation. The years since his nervous breakdown in 1871 have been hard on Balakirev’s soul and his hairline, but his beard remained as bushily fruitful, Orthodox, and Anti-Petrine as ever. The Third Mazurka evokes a tone of thoughtful reminiscing about past golden glory days to which to dance. Meanwhile, a feeling of regret lurks in the background behind all of the nostalgia, until it finally unclothes itself at the coda. Beginning with counterpoint no less sophisticated than Chopin’s Op. 50 No. 3, the piece’s harmonic language is far more advanced than the previous Mazurkas, containing unusual modulations, extended chords, and copious chromaticism throughout. A French Sixth used as a secondary dominant, characteristic of Scriabin later on, protrudes from deep within the development. Once recapitulation is achieved, a decorated version (a technique that influenced Lyapunov) of one of the beginning melodies plays in triplets, bringing the piece to the coda. where the second theme is laid over a low, growling pedal on the tonic, rendering the mood dark and...