Jessica Duchen choose three of the best recordings of Musorgsky’s evocative masterpiece – in its original piano version <\/p>
Musorgsky\u2019s Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em> exists in two forms: the composer\u2019s original version, for solo piano, and Ravel\u2019s later orchestration. Here, we look at the genesis of the original piano piece \u2013 and some of its finest recordings.<\/p>\n W<\/span>ritten in 1874, Pictures at an Exhibition <\/i>is Musorgsky\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> only piano masterpiece: a tribute to his deceased friend, the artist and architect Viktor Hartmann<\/a><\/strong>, after visiting a display of his work. <\/span><\/p>\n Ten musical \u2018pictures\u2019, suggested by Hartmann\u2019s, are interspersed with \u2018promenades\u2019 leading from painting to painting. From children playing in the gardens of the Tuileries to a catacomb of skulls; from unhatched chicks to Russian folklore\u2019s chief witch, Baba Yaga<\/strong><\/a>, all of life is here. <\/span><\/p>\n There are two performing traditions: one pays scrupulous attention to the text; the other freely \u2018pianostrates\u2019 it (Vladimir Horowitz\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> term) with extra effects. What\u2019s vital is that the pianist is true to Musorgsky\u2019s spirit, steeped in Russian 19th-century Realism. That spirit makes Pictures<\/i> a gift to an imaginative performer.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Musorgsky\u2019s Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em> about?<\/h2>\n
What is the best recording of Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em>?<\/h2>\n
Sviatoslav Richter: The Sofia Recital (1958)<\/span><\/h3>\n