0:00 Promenade 1:39 Gnomus 4:07 Promenade 5:07 The old castle 9:47 Promenade 10:20 Tuileries 11:18 Bydlo 13:58 Promenade 14:46 Ballet of the unhatched chicks 15:59 Two jews - one rich, the other poor 18:16 The market place, Limoges 19:37 The catacombs 22:04 With the dead in a dead language 23:46 The hut on hen's legs 27:09 The great gate of Kiev Jerry the king lawler theme song....
+Inc Rapper Worked my way through college, took engineering, saved my money and, took music appreciation classes after graduation where I met a host of talented successful people..
+Phil DeProtine Im in college now. Went to a concerto that played these pieces and working on going to medical school saving up and meeting a host of talented successful people as well
+Inc Rapper This is lifetime music (rather then noise of the week). The more you learn of its history, the more you will enjoy it. You keep gaining more appreciation of not only the music but also of the times in which it was was written, the life of the composer and his associates (the Russian Five). Give their music a listen too. Their style of minor key composition with an almost Oriental flavor is forever popular and memorable..
+Jennifer Rummler No not just 3 weeks. He wrote this after the death of a good friend of his who was working on pictures if i am correct. It's a kind of Hommage to him. I am sure he spent more time on it. Anyways happy new year 2016!
+William Griebenow Thanks for pointing that out. How amazing it is when one genius's composition is added to by another's. What a pleasure it is to be able to hear. Gratitude.
Mussorgsky couldn't write music. he played incredibly good piano, and he was a master with the improvisation. His friends helped him writing his pieces for him. Then Ravel came and orchestred this. It stills a masterpiece.
Just for this to show up first for me: 0:00 Promenade 1:39 Gnomus 4:07 Promenade 5:07 The old castle 9:47 Promenade 10:20 Tuileries 11:18 Bydlo 13:58 Promenade 14:46 Ballet of the unhatched chicks 15:59 Two jews - one rich, the other poor 18:16 The market place, Limoges 19:37 The catacombs 22:04 With the dead in a dead language 23:46 The hut on hen's legs 27:09 The great gate of Kiev
me too great musicians i play them loudly and proudly to the horror looks on people's faces as i drive on by what im trying to do is find even just one person to ask me who the hell that music is cause they found it interesting. none yet
Don't forget Maurice Ravel who orchestrated this marvelous piece of music ! Mussorgsky piano verion is fantastic but what will it be without Ravel ? :)
I actually prefer this over the original piano piece. Don't get me wrong, I love the piano solo, and one day hope to perform part of it at least. But I feel like the whole orchestra better captures the drama and grandeur of the piece. (Especially the Great Gate of Kiev!) My word, I love this arrangement!!
True. With all due respect to the original piano work, Ravel's brilliant orchestral treatment brought out so many more colors and nuances. It also made it more accessible to the public. It is now a standard of the orchestral repertoire, enjoyed by millions for generations.
When one listens to original piano version and then the Ravel full orchestral version, it's the same as when Dorothy leaves her home through the front door to step into the colorful Land of Oz. Whutta difference!!!
One of the best days of my life was when I attended The New York Philharmonic perform this along with a famous children's book illustrator who drew pictures while the music played.
Matheus Doria De Araujo “Sorry my English” is literally the only sentence that isn’t phrased right. If you hadn’t apologized there wouldn’t be anything wrong with your comment lol. Except capitalizing the “I.”
Let's just get this over with: [Smug statement about this video criticizing the interpretation or musicians.] [Comparing this video to Kanye West or Justin Beiber and saying how much better and sophisticated we are for listening to it] [11 year old saying they learned this last year] [Old guy writing about how he knew Mussorgsky back in the day.] [Large argument about something that is essentially opinion or preference]
The grandeur and melody of the Promenade has always touched me in a very emotional way, but not to diminish the whole of the Pictures of an Exhibition, a superb and powerful, melodic, soft and rhythmic piece from start to finish. Thanks for posting!
not painting but visual images (his visual images) for me - sometimes I have a feeling that this music can be touched by hand as a canvas painting or sculpture
An exhibition of Hartmann's paintings was put together by several of his friends as a sort of memorial. Mussorgsky wrote the music as a tribute and memorial. Originally it was written for piano. What we are hearing here is an orchestration of Mussorgsky's music. I could be wrong on this last point, but I believe that composer Maurice Ravel was the one who did the adaptation for orchestra.
Heh, because of the editing and the sound of the music, The Hut on Hen's Legs always pops into my mind whenever I see the soccer team name Chicken Inn FC :-p (Obscure, I know, but welcome to my brain XD )
I'm doing a project on Mussorgsky in my High School Music comp class. These songs make me want to cry every time I listen to them. Pictures at an Exhibition Suite and Night on Bald Mountain are my favorite compositions by anyone. (Even though Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov came up with the idea of Pictures at an Exhibition.
This is one of my all-time favorite classical pieces, and that says a lot. I absolutely love classical music. I'm a trumpeter, so hearing Bud Herseth play that glorious passage in the beginning, as well as the melody in the Great Gate of Kiev, is just short of a religious experience. I'm only 19, so I never got the opportunity to hear him live. I can't express what I would give to have that opportunity now. This music is some of the most beautiful and deeply expressive music I've ever heard. It's only fitting that this recording was made by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Solti. One of the greatest orchestras ever under one of the greatest maestros ever playing one of the best classical pieces ever. It's a match made in heaven.
cellogirl11RW classical music is literally one of my favorite genres to listen to! I love listening to it, and I love it whenever I get an opportunity to play it. I just find it to be very beautiful. :-)
Korszakalkotó, grandiózus, örök, a zene olyan magas fokú kifejezőereje, melyben a kép hanggá, a hang lélekrezdüléssé transzformál a rezonancia mágiájával. Soha nem fog létezni olyan világpolitikai éra, amely valaha is felül tudná írni a halhatatlan, igaz művészet erejét! Ez Musszorgszky egyetemes zeneműve. Hálásan köszönöm, hogy hallhattam és láthattam. Szalay Zsuzsánna
I remember listening to this at Tanglewood in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I was laying on my back in the grass and looking up at the constellations.
Prof. Walters of Rutgers College introduced me to PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION in 1957 ! He enriched the lives of many students with the joy of CLASSICAL MUSIC. Prof. ....wherever you may be, THANK YOU !
I haven't listened to this in quite some time. This version is brilliant. Solti and the CSO nail it. The CSO was one of the best orchestras in the world under the direction of Fritz Reiner and with a short pause of about five years, Solti as director continued that success.
The CD of this piece has been stuck inside the car radio for a year. I have probably listened to this about 70+ times. If you played ANY 10 second phrase of this piece, I would instantly recognize Pictures at an Exhibition.
+theewok629 I can usually recognize pieces by a random chord or random 2 notes in it, but only pieces that I've listened to hundreds of times. Other ones it takes me a couple of measures
I'm studying matematicsand at the same time I'm listening to this wonderful performance. My attention is totally captured by the music. Thank you. Now I switch it off that I could really learn. :)
I have a playlist that I listen to whenever I study with this, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and a few other classical pieces. It is great music to study with!
Part of the Atlanta Symphony performed this at a free concert in 89 i think it was. Loved it ! ! ! I still remember ELP doing this in 77 when i saw them...Great memories as this is one of my favorite pieces!!!
I first heard the Emerson Lake and Palmer version of this, and I loved it. Needless to say, when I heard the original Murssorgsky's version, I was hooked. I enjoy listening to both versions. Amazing, from start to finish.
Well if you all love it you should be okay; I find that if one has true passion for what they do then the enjoyment in doing so makes it easier for them to accomplish their tasks. Also good luck.
Logged in specifically to compliment you on uploading one of the best pieces of classical music on RU-vid. Mussorgsky + Ravel + Solti + CSO make for a poetic experience. Starts with an invitational stroll, and ends tremendously. The music of the hen's legs is bewitched like its inspiration Baba Yaga. Lots of great movements. Epic!
Don't they tho? Funny, they were late to the game. First major Russian classical composer was Glinka. 1804-1857. Compare that with the Germans and the Italians who were writing operas in the 1600s. The Russian Oligarchy did not encourage classical music at first.
I think my favorite is the 4th Promenade. The woodwind section at the beginning of this "movement" is exquisite, and the transition into the Ballet is astounding.
Back in autumn of 2015, I arrived at Ohio State for my first semester of undergrad. In just over a month, I’ll be graduating. My single favorite moment of my entire experience there was, and remains, watching our marching band cover this song live. No, it wasn’t exactly the same, obviously, being crunched for time and comprised entirely of brass and percussion, but it still took my breath away.
This is good stuff. I want to thank the person who got me hooked onto classical music, many years ago. Before I was listening this version of Pictures at an Exhibition, I used to love, and still do, Emerson Lake & Palmers version of Pictures at an Exhibition. If you've not listen to ELP's version, then please do listen to it, when you have some down time.
The one with the clock and the Great Gate are the movements I liked the best in this work. The Hut gave me creepy chills and the Gate was just majestic. When I was a kid I ran around the house trying to wave a stick and conduct it. Is it me or does this remind you of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture; especially at the end? I love this when you get the cymbals going with the flourishes. Anyway, it's a nice, bold piece.
James Brice Yes, I have and you're right. My mother played that for me also. She was Beethoven fan but she made sure we heard a full range of classical music-along with our cultural heritage of jazz. I love Russian Chant a lot too.
+Trimelda Concepcion' McDaniels Yes, it does remind me, just a bit - of the part where the bells begin to chime always a favorite part of the 1812 -- You were blessed by your mother - The broad spectrum to which you were exposed.
+Trimelda Concepcion' McDaniels I agree that the last 2 movements are the most exhilarating! As to comparing it to Tchaikovsky, not really. I like this piece better than the overture.
The first time i heard this piece was of the version that ELP (emerson lake and palmer) did. i heard it about 18 years ago. and then i looked up to hear the original piano version that mussorgsky wrote and the orchestrated that ravel did, and since then i fell in love with classical music. i hardly listen anymore to ELP or other rock music (though i still think it is good) but my heart has completely taken over by classical music.
Eyal Molchansky How are you ？ Your opinion is right . Genius music is stirring and touching. Give my regards from Japan . so long . ELP is not genius . Mussorgsky is great genius.
He was visiting an exhibition of pictures and was inspired to paint them in music. He was a very heavy man, and you will hear him walking ponderously from picture to picture.
Miranda Allison Young a doctor visiting moussorgsky (he was alcoholic as you can see in the first picture) said:"if you drink one more glass,you'll die.the great composer drank one more glass and he died.he was 42.
"Gnomus" might be one of my favorite music pieces of all time. It is so unsettling and unique, I adore it. From 3:13 it really feels like falling down a dark, bottomless pit. It scared the living shit out of me as a child. 😂😂
I memorized every note of this when I was 12 (my gateway was the ELP version, of which Ravel approved!). It has remained a part of me ever since. Mussorgsky was truly inspired.
Bryan Soutar My parents were actually into Classical, and I grew up listening to this - discovered rock when I was 6, branched out to ALL kinds of other things, but ELP definitely brought me back to it! :)
Thank you to Sir Georg Solti and the CSO, and reverent remembrance of Mussorgski and his providential friend and flatmate, Rimski-Korsakov - A very inspired performance of an august and uplifting score and original.
Modest Mussorgsky was one of a group of five composers referred to as, The Mighty Handful. These were Composers who were intent on creating a Nationalistic Russian music. Balakierev, considered the leader, The Mighty Handful meeting at his home once a week. Mussorgsky was considered by Balakierev to be kind of a moron. Ironically he was the most original of the group. Mussorgsky was suspicious of outside composers from other countries. A picture of Mussorgsky sits underneath the Russian Composer, Shostakovitch's composing table. Mussorgsky is one of the two composers I know that had no musical training, the other is Richard Wagner. Wickipedia - The Five, also known as the Mighty Handful and the New Russian School, were five prominent 19th-century Russian composers who worked together to create distinct Russian classical music. Mily Balakirev (the leader), César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin all lived in Saint Petersburg, and collaborated from 1856 to 1870. The best musical technician of the group was Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov. He re-orchestrated some of Mussorgsky's work and mentored, which many believe is the best composer of the twentieth century, Egor Stravinsky. Some of Korsakov's works are a main stay in the symphonic literature (Scheherazade ). Stravinsky quoted some of Korsakov's melodies in the Firebird, the first of Stravinsky's ballet successes commissioned by Ballet Russes by Sergei Diaghilev, the choreographer. Two other ballet commissions for Stravinsky would follow form Diaghilev, Petrushka, and the Rite of Spring. All performed in Paris because of the Revolution in Russia. Stravinsky never returned to his native country.
I love how Maurice Ravel deviates from the original piano version of the first piece by putting those whimsical interludes in between the grand intro and the main solemn theme.
This is one of my favourite musical compositions ever! Not only because of the intellectual masterpiece but because of the story behind it! Absolutely beautiful.
I've been listening to Russian composers lately, and chose Mussorgsky at random, as well as this video. I felt something with that initial play of the motif, it felt like it came out of nowhere, I found myself humming along and literally, physically moved by the music. Obviously I was like "holy shit I know this from SOMEWHERE" but I couldnt figure it out. Now ten minutes later when hearing a more brassy version of the motif BOOM it hit me: I have PLAYED this very music! Tuba, back in high school! I remembered this song in that weird strange abstract way that we remember music. Amazing. I don't remember who was directing, but I know that this song has apparently stuck with me, or at least the one motif haha, in a very powerful and deep way. Music is incredible!
I don't know why, but whenever I hear the Great Gate of Kiev, I always think of loyalty, hope and home. Something that is always worth returning back to. Just like the piece itself. :D
The Great Gate of Kiev, while not actually exsisting is supposed to be a gate that gaurds the inhabitants, thus making it a loyal protective monument, that also inspires new comers of the grandeur of the architecture
+laiticas Your joking right? Rap is not even remotely like this. Notice that in this, there is melody, dynamics, style, musical ideas, ect. Also notice, there is no profanity (and other things inappropriate to music) in this. I think its insulting to Mussorgsky to even compare this to rap.
No, I'm not joking. *You can actually take samples from anywhere you like, and you can add melodic elements to make a rap song. Anything that rocks one's boat. There are some very dramatic elements in this composition which could be a part of good rap song. Obviously you don't listen too much rap?
For example, 20:34-20:49, that short part could be easily included at least as a part of base track while making a good rap song. (Maybe speed up it little bit andloop it). Of course, another question is that we don't always need a melody. I like good melodies, but we should bear in mind that every melody is based on rhythm.
Thinking about the fact that this guy was literally the poorest compositioner EVER and what he has done for wonderful pieces.... Is just awesome! It shows perfectly that you, if you have the right talent, don't need much and can reach nearly everything! #inspiration
Thank you Mahlerman77 for this fine rendition of this music. (I always thought that lead painting of Mussorgsky would have been a great likeness of Rasputin!) Years ago, living in North Michigan, I wrote down a list of 'musical loves,' heard over Interlochen Public Radio. Of course, our dear Modeste's music made it on that list! Thanks again!
John Canfield Rasputin was thin and had black hair and beard. They both have Slavic features, but aside from that (and the beards) don't look much alike.
Farbenprächtige und gut artikulierte Aufführung dieses populären Meisterwerks mit relativ schnellen Tempi und brillanten Töne der Bläser. Danke fürs Hochladen mit guter Tonqualität!
la genialita' di mussorgsky tradotta in quadri di cui l'ascoltatore immagina la trama,e la passeggiata tra un quadro e l'altro esaltata da una melodia sempre uguale eppure diversa ogni volta. semplicemente straordinario, da ascoltare in assoluto relax
saw the seattle symphony play this with a guest conductor from san Paulo brazil and he explained about how the movements were a dedication to his deceased friend who was an artist who paintings are the subject matter of the songs. very cool.
0:00 Promenade 1:39 Gnomus 4:07 Promenade 5:07 The old castle 9:47 Promenade 10:20 Tuileries 11:18 Bydlo 13:58 Promenade 14:46 Ballet of the unhatched chicks 15:59 Two jews - one rich, the other poor 18:16 The market place, Limoges 19:37 The catacombs 22:04 With the dead in a dead language 23:46 The hut on hen's legs 27:09 The great gate of Kiev
the aim of this post was to indicate the greatest (among many great) russian composers, not to name all the russian composers we know. I stick to my opinion.
My parents taught strings. Late in life, Dad often wore a green bathrobe around the house, in honor of Mussorgsky. He was a living pun on (dubious) Modesty.
