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Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em> exists in two forms: the composer’s original version, for solo piano, and Ravel’s later orchestration. Here, we’ll take a look at the genesis of the original piano piece – and some of its finest recordings. <\/p> Written in 1874, Pictures at an Exhibition <\/i>is Mussorgsky\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> only piano masterpiece: a tribute to his deceased friend, the artist and architect Viktor Hartmann<\/a><\/strong>. The suite of extraordinarily vivid miniature tone poems was composed after visiting a display of Hartmann’s work at the Imperial Academy of Arts\u00a0in\u00a0Saint Petersburg – not long after the artist’s sudden death. <\/p> 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. <\/p> 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 Mussorgsky\u2019s spirit, steeped in Russian 19th-century Realism. That spirit makes Pictures<\/i> a gift to an imaginative performer.<\/p> This great work was later orchestrated by various composers. The most famous orchestration was made by Maurice Ravel<\/a><\/strong> in 1922. Sir Henry Wood<\/a><\/strong>, founder of the Proms, had previously made an orchestration in 1915 – but when he heard Ravel’s transcription, he found it so superior that he wouldn’t allow his own orchestration to be performed!<\/p> By the way, you can hear the orchestral <\/strong>version of Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em> at the 2024 BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong>. It’s being performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conductor Kazuki Yamada for Prom 43<\/a><\/strong> (Thursday 22 August). <\/p>What is Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em> about?<\/h2>
Two ways to hear Pictures<\/em> at an Exhibition<\/em><\/h2>
What is the best recording of Pictures at an Exhibition<\/em>?<\/h2>
Sviatoslav Richter: The Sofia Recital (1958)<\/h3>