Biography
At core a minimalist, this Russian composer belonged to the moguchaya kuchka, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Five, whose circle included Balakirev as the foremost and most influential member along with Borodin, Musorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Balakirev repeatedly pressed to revise the orchestration of Cui's operas, yet the composer's works drew both high praise and sharp criticism that mirrored contemporary attitudes. In his articles Cui upheld the principles of an expanding nationalism, though those ideals remained absent from his own music, which instead reflected the influence of Auber and Meyerbeer. His critical reviews, published across numerous papers and other outlets, often displayed a distinctly caustic and acerbic edge. Cui's operas and orchestrations continued to falter and never represented his true compositional strength. By contrast, his short choral works, piano music, chamber pieces, and songs offered concise distillations of mood, coloration, texture, and passion. ~ Keith Johnson
Albums
