IDAGIO | Mussorgsky & Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition - Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade 3760009293298

Featuring

Emmanuel Krivine
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Modest Mussorgsky
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

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Composition History

Maurice Ravel's (1875-1937) famous orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition was commissioned in 1922 by Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951), an American conductor and patron of many composers.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Both Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, though based on narrative objects, aim to convey impressions and emotions rather than literal descriptions.

Composer Biography

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881), a member of the 'Mighty Handful' group of Russian composers, was a solitary figure who died at 42, plagued by depression and alcoholism.

Composition History

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was inspired by a retrospective exhibition of paintings and drawings by his friend, the architect Viktor Hartmann (1834-1873), who had died a year prior.

Compositional Technique

In Pictures at an Exhibition, Mussorgsky's own 'physiognomy' or presence is evident in the 'Promenade' interludes, which connect the different musical depictions of Hartmann's artworks.

Composer Biography

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), also from the 'Mighty Handful', initially cultivated music as a hobby while serving in the Imperial Navy, as it was frowned upon for nobles to become musicians.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in the Grand Auditorium of the Philharmonie Luxembourg, a venue inaugurated in 2005 and designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc.