Mussorgsky was good friends with the painter Vladimir Hartmann, who tragically died at the peak of his career, aged just thirty-nine. The loss of not just a close friend but an artistic inspiration had a deep effect on Mussorgsky. By way of a tribute to Hartmann, he composed a set of piano pieces: Pictures at an Exhibition, inspired by an exhibition of the artist’s work, which Mussorgsky had visited after his friend’s death.

The suite consists of musical depictions of 10 of Hartmann’s paintings, interspersed with a recurring ‘Promenade’ theme, or intermezzo that represents a visitor—in this case, the composer himself—strolling through the exhibition. Mussorgsky acknowledged in one of his letters, that the powerful nature of the intermezzi reflect his own large physique!

This piece is set in the beautiful Tuileries gardens in the centre of Paris, inhabited by a swarm of children and nurses, and describes the endless backwards and forwards quarrelling and playing of the children.

Approximate Performance Duration: 1' 45"

Skill Level: Challenging

Instrumentation
Percussion 1: Xylophone
Percussion 2: Vibraphone
Percussion 3: Marimba
Percussion 4: Glockenspiel
Percussion 5:Marimba
Timpani

ISMN: 979-0-708127-30-7