The Five , also known as The Mighty Handful ( Russian : Могучая кучка , Moguchaya kuchka ) , The Balakirev Circle , and The New Russian School , refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg , Russia , in the years 1856-1870 : Mily Balakirev ( the leader ) , César Cui , Modest Mussorgsky , Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin .
The five composers were : Mily Balakirev , César Cui , Modest Mussorgsky , Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin .