Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Songs and Dances of Death & The Nursery (Orchestrated by Peter Breiner)

Featuring

Peter Breiner
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Modest Mussorgsky

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, the composer, was largely self-taught in composition and initially pursued music as a hobby while serving as an officer and later a government clerk.

Performer Biography

Peter Breiner, the conductor and arranger on this album, is one of the world's most recorded musicians, with over 180 CDs released and 1.5 million records sold by 2008.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mussorgsky developed his highly original musical ideas and language, and a deep interest in the people and history of Russia, after taking a government position in 1863.

Recording & Production

This album was mastered using the 2xHD proprietary system, which involves transferring the original master to analog, processing it through high-end tube equipment, and then recording it in DXD.

Performer Biography

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, featured on this recording, is one of the world's oldest national symphony orchestras, established in 1946, and has an extensive catalogue of recordings.

Composition History

Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' was originally written in 1874 as a set of piano pieces, translating paintings, designs, models, and drawings by his friend Victor Hartmann into music.

Interpretation

Peter Breiner, the orchestrator for this album, aimed to create a contemporary orchestral sound for Mussorgsky's works, rather than re-creating Mussorgsky's original orchestral sound.