Piano Sonatas

Balakirev's two piano sonatas are among the most ambitious works in the Russian Romantic repertoire. Op. 5 in B♭ minor was begun in 1856 and reached its final form in 1905 — a four-movement work of epic scale (~30 min) that Balakirev described as encapsulating the entire history of Russia. Op. 102 in B♭ minor (1900–1905) is a tighter four-movement work (Andantino, Mazurka, Intermezzo, Finale, ~24 min) of comparable emotional depth.