Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

Inspired by a visit to an art exhibition, Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote Pictures at an Exhibition in memory of his friend Viktor Hartmann who died suddenly in 1873 at the age of 39. Hartmann was a visual artist and in this work Mussorgsky imagines himself strolling through an exhibit of his friend’s works, contemplating each one as he goes. Originally composed for solo piano, Pictures at an Exhibition has subsequently been arranged for orchestra dozens of times, most notably by Maurice Ravel in 1922. With imaginative movements such as the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks and Baba Yaga’s Hut on Fowl’s Legs, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition conjures up magical and expressive illustrations through music.

New Texas Sinfonia

Weston Jennings, conductor