Sir Henry Wood orchestrated three of Xaver Scharwenka's Polish National Dances in 1919, likely to mark Polish independence achieved that year, reflecting pro-Polish sentiment in the UK after World War I.
Critical Reception
Sir Henry Wood's orchestration of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, initially attributed to 'Paul Klenovsky', received a warm critical reception until Wood admitted the deception.
Composition History
Mussorgsky's piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition was inspired by a memorial exhibition of art by his close friend Victor Hartmann, who died unexpectedly at age 39.
Composition History
Sir Henry Wood, the orchestrator of the works on this album, attributed his 1929 orchestration of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor to a fictitious 'Paul Klenovsky' to avoid critical prejudice.
Critical Reception
Sir Henry Wood's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was largely forgotten after Ravel's version appeared in 1922, despite occasional BBC performances.
Composer Biography
Enrique Granados, a Spanish composer, was among those who died when the steamer Sussex was torpedoed by a German U-boat in January 1916.
Compositional Technique
In his orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Sir Henry Wood omits most of the 'promenades' between movements, retaining only the first as a standalone movement.
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