Musorgsky and His Circle

The extraordinary group of Russian composers who came together in St Petersburg in the 1860s - long known as ''The Mighty Handful'', but, as the moguchaya kuchka, better translated as ''the great little heap'' - gave rise to one of the most fascinating and colourful stories in all musical history. Stephen Walsh, author of a major biography of their direct successor, Stravinsky, has written an absorbing account of Musorgsky and his circle - Borodin, Cui, Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. With little or no musical education they created works of lasting significance - Musorgsky''s Boris Godunov, Borodin''s Prince Igor and Rimsky-Korsakov''s Sheherazade. Written with deep understanding and panache, The Kuchka, is highly engaging and a significant contribution to cultural history.