PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
five contrasting variations . These range from fast virtuoso outings for the piano to a slow , mysterious reverie by the soloist over light woodwind and string accompaniment . The quiet conclusion of this movement is especially intriguing .
The finale is a mixture of rhythmic drive and soaring lyricism . It is dominated by some of the most relentlessly difficult piano writing ever devised . But relief comes in the big central lyrical section , featuring one of Prokofiev ’ s signature high-arcing melodies tossed from woodwinds to violins . The drive to the finish ranks among the most exciting in the concerto literature , with virtuosity , speed , and pitch all raised to the very zenith .
Instrumentation : Two flutes including piccolo , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , timpani , percussion and strings .
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Modest Mussorgsky ( arr . Maurice Ravel )
Born in Karevo , Ukraine , March 21 , 1839 ; died in St . Petersburg , Russia , March 28 , 1881
When one of his closest friends , the artist and architect Victor Hartman , died at age 39 in 1873 , a devastated Modest Mussorgsky helped organize an exhibition of Hartman ’ s paintings . He then decided to “ draw in music ” ( his words ) ten of them in a work for solo piano that he composed rapidly during June 1874 . Apparently , he had no plans to orchestrate his Pictures at an Exhibition , and the work was not even published until after his death . It remained little known outside of Russia .
All this changed in 1922 when Russian conductor Serge Koussevitzky commissioned Maurice Ravel , one of the greatest orchestrators of the 20 th century , to score Pictures for his Paris ensemble . Working with respect for Mussorgsky ’ s music , Ravel created a masterpiece in a new genre , in which uncommon instruments like the tuba , alto saxophone and celesta enrich a glowing orchestral canvas . Several other composers have subsequently produced orchestrations of Pictures , but Ravel ’ s remains the touchstone .
The following movement descriptions draw on the words of Russian art critic Vladimir Stassov , friend to both Hartman and Mussorgsky :
Promenade : Mussorgsky depicts “ himself … as he strolled through the exhibition , joyfully or sadly recalling the talented deceased artist … he does not hurry , but observes attentively .” This music returns throughout the piece as a linking device , changing to reflect the composer ’ s different responses to the pictures . By 1874 , Mussorgsky had grown fat , and we hear this in the music ’ s stately , lumbering gait .
Gnomus : “ A fantastic lame figure on crooked little legs .… This gnome is a child ’ s toy , fashioned , after Hartman ’ s design , in wood for the Christmas tree … in the style of the nutcracker , the nuts being inserted in the gnome ’ s mouth .… The gnome accompanies his droll movements with savage shrieks .”
The Old Castle : This is a sketch of a medieval Italian castle ; a troubadour is singing in the foreground . Above the strumming of the guitar , the alto saxophone with a bassoon partner sings the troubadour ’ s song .
Tuileries : Stassov wrote that this highspirited episode is based on a picture of children playing with their nurse in Paris ’ Tuileries Gardens .
Bydlo : This melancholy piece , featuring solo tuba , portrays a heavy Polish ox-drawn wagon . Low strings and bassoons depict the groaning of its wheels . Mussorgsky intended this to begin loudly , but Ravel gradually builds the volume , then lets it fade as the wagon rumbles toward us , then moves away .
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks : “ In 1870 , Hartman designed the costumes … for the ballet Trilbi at the Maryinsky Theatre .… In the cast were a number of boy and girl pupils … arrayed as canaries . Others were dressed up as eggs .” Hartman ’ s sketches in which the children ’ s arms and legs protrude from the egg shells inspired this chirping piece of high woodwinds and celesta . Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle : “ Victor Hartman gave Mussorgsky two of his sketches from real life , those of the rich and the poor Jew ” from Sandimir , Poland . Mussorgsky named the two and richly characterized the haughty rich man ( in low unison strings and winds ) Goldenberg dismissing the whining pleas ( muted trumpet solo ) of the poor Schmuÿle .
Limoges : The Market : “ Old women quarreling at the market in Limoges .”
Catacombs and With the Dead in a Dead Language : In the solemn tones of low brass , this bursts immediately from Limoges . Hartman ’ s picture shows the artist , a friend and a guide examining the Paris catacombs by lamplight .
Baba-Yaga : The Hut on Hen ' s Legs : Powerful and grotesque , “ this piece is based on Hartman ’ s design for a clock in the form of Baba-Yaga ’ s hut on hen ’ s legs , to which Mussorgsky added the ride of the witch in her mortar .” Baba-Yaga is a Russian fairytale witch who lures children into the woods , eats them , then crushes their bones in a giant mortar in which she rides through the woods . Baba-Yaga soars upward into …
The Great Gate of Kiev : The grand finale , based on the “ Promenade ” music , depicts Hartman ’ s competition design for a ceremonial arch in Kiev to commemorate Tsar Alexander II ’ s escape from an assassination attempt .
It is “ in the massive old Russian style in the form of a Slavonic helmet .” Kiev is the historic seat of Russian orthodoxy ; Mussorgsky incorporates a Russian orthodox hymn-tune sung by the woodwinds . Ringing with church bells and brass fanfares , the work climaxes in a blaze of Slavic glory .
Instrumentation : Three flutes including two piccolos , three oboes including English horn , two clarinets , bass clarinet , two bassoons , contrabassoon , alto saxophone , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tenor tuba , tuba , timpani , percussion , two harps , celesta and strings .
Notes by Janet E . Bedell , © 2018
34 OVERTURE / BSOmusic . org