Balakirev, Toccata - Thomas Graff

Perhaps Balakirev’s greatest legacy was the ideals and beliefs that he imparted to the group of musicians he had brought together. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote that Balakirev had ‘not even superficially applied’ himself to any study of counterpoint or harmony, and indeed, his compositional technique was derived from a combination of superlative musical intuition, a fine ear and a truly virtuosic command of the piano keyboard. The Toccata in C# minor is among Balakirev’s more notable compositions for piano, exploring a broad, Lisztian range of keyboard technique.