Modest Mussorgsky

A member of the group of Russian nationalist composers known as "The Mighty Five," Mussorgsky wrote opera (Boris Godounov, 1868), songs, and incidental music (Pictures at an Exhibition for piano (1874)), and A Night on Bare Mountain. Leading a very difficult life (nearly impoverished at times, working at the dreary job of a civil clerk, and suffering from alcoholism), Mussorgsky nevertheless produced some of the most original and remarkable songs from Russia, which are now part of the standard repertoire. The beauty, strength, and emotion of Russian folk songs and tales inspir...