Mily Balakirev (1837-1910), founder and driving force of the celebrated “Mighty Handful’, spared no effort in his devotion to his followers, and thus left only a relatively modest number of works of his own. The piano occupies a preponderant place in his output, with the Russian style rubbing shoulders with the influences of Chopin and Liszt. While Islamey has always figured in the virtuoso repertoire, other pieces deserve to be rediscovered, including the Toccata, the Sonata, and the Variations on themes by Glinka, the ‘Father of Russian music’, who saw in Balakirev a worthy successor.