Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was composed in 1874 as a tribute to his friend Victor Hartmann, an architect, painter, and stage designer, who died at age 39.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mussorgsky aimed to transmit his impressions as a 'walker' through an exhibition in his music, rather than merely describing pictorial representations.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded on a Blüthner Konzertflügel Modell 2 grand piano in January 2010 at the Mediencampus Villa Ida in Leipzig, Germany.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Claude Debussy, inspired by Far Eastern music like the Balinese gamelan, believed exotic music contained 'all dynamics, even those that can no longer be named'.
Composer Biography
Modest Mussorgsky, a member of The Five, was a discreet and sensitive man, despite anecdotes portraying him as crude and unsophisticated.
Performer Biography
Juliana Steinbach, the Brazilian-born pianist on this album, began her piano studies in France after moving there at the age of three.
Instruments
The Blüthner Pianofortefabrik, founded in 1853, produces instruments praised for their rich sound and color, with Claude Debussy himself owning a Blüthner concert piano from 1904.
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Debussy, Szymanowski
Till Tröst, Glädje och Inspiration - CHOPIN, F. / LISZT, F. / SCHUBERT, F. / DEBUSSY, C. / STENHAMMAR, W.
Circus & Magic
Masques
Schubert, F.: Moments Musicaux / Impromptu in E-Flat Major, D. 899, No. 2 / Debussy, C.: Children's Corner / Images, Book 2
