Mily Balakirev ( 1837 - 1910 ) was a Russian composer. His piano compositions include two concertos, two sonatas, and several mazurkas, waltzes, and transcriptions. Most of his pieces are not performed, his most performed work is his Oriental Fantasy in D-Flat known as Islamey. This notoriously difficult piece is considered by many pianists to be a Rite of passage to demonstrate their technique and virtuosity.