April: Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition

[james]

Painting 9b: ‘Cum mortuis in lingua mortua / With the dead in a dead language’:

I read somewhere that Mussorgsky actually meant to write 'With the dead in the language of the dead' but he made a mistake in the Latin.

[Jared]

Painting 9b: ‘Cum mortuis in lingua mortua / With the dead in a dead language’:

I read somewhere that Mussorgsky actually meant to write 'With the dead in the language of the dead' but he made a mistake in the Latin.

yes I must admit I have read that, too... thanks for mentioning it, though... :-)

[DaveF]

On vinyl......



I'm approaching this work for the first time and given my general disinterest in piano works I wasnt sure what to expect. The notes in this thread have helped immensely in trying to both understand and get 'hook's on the music. Super effort Jared!
The above recording sounds superb. I also have the Ravel version on LP but for whetever reason it did nothing for me.

[james]

I have this book on 'Pictures' and I think it is quite good [That's where I think I got the quote about Mussorgsky's bad latin] ...



james

[Jared]

Super effort Jared!

thanks Dave... we're all learning together, my friend..

[fergus]

You do realise that a recital will be demanded at the next Forum meet up!!

I can play the first 2 bars!!

I could do that myself!
I expect to hear the fullsome sound of an organ version of "Pictures" billowing forth from the Monkstown Church as I pass by at the end of the month!

[fergus]

I'm approaching this work for the first time and given my general disinterest in piano works I wasnt sure what to expect. The notes in this thread have helped immensely in trying to both understand and get 'hook's on the music. Super effort Jared!
The above recording sounds superb. I also have the Ravel version on LP but for whetever reason it did nothing for me.

Interesting thoughts Dave from a fellow solo-piano-phobe!!!

[james]

On vinyl......

Image

I'm approaching this work for the first time and given my general disinterest in piano works I wasnt sure what to expect. The notes in this thread have helped immensely in trying to both understand and get 'hook's on the music. Super effort Jared!

Partly out of curiosity and partly because all my CD's are 'put away' during building work I have just ordered a copy of the CD version of this work. My argument is that, even if I don't like the version, I get some more piano music I am not familiar with .. when I was looking for the best CD version of Pictures -- years ago -- I bought about 10 versions [over a space of a few years] on the basis that it was a way to hear some other interesting piano music. Eventually the Lazar Berman version appeared on CD and I stopped. [But after a year or two bought another two versions].

Thanks Dave

james

[fergus]

Painting 9a: ‘The Roman Catacombs’:

My listen: Firm, deliberate, deathly-dark, prolonged notes suggest the slow descent by torchlight, into the heart of the catacombs, followed by a pause as each step produces new sights, for their eyes to adjust to. Notes from the right hand from 1.16 suggest to me a sympathetic recognition of past human lives, as they are confronted by walls of skulls, piled on either side, with the stronger block chords portraying the raise of the pulse, as a new sight greets them.


Painting 9b: ‘Cum mortuis in lingua mortua / With the dead in a dead language’:

My listen: Whereas the music in the first part of ‘Catacombs’ deals primarily with the physical aspect of Hartmann descending the stairs, the soft, quick, repetitive trill of the higher keys here suggest the merger between viewer and subject, evoking more, the intangible, emotional atmosphere of the scene, whilst the left hand initially continues to indicate a downward motion of notes, into it’s depths. As the notes plateau out, we reach a new phase at 1.05, where the trepidation gives way a sound which is more mellow, tranquil and reflective, as they are filled with more solemn emotions, based on the scene before them.

With these two pictures I am getting more of a sense of awe and wonderment at what is being seen in the catacombs particularly with the first picture; I think those chords, to me, are signifying the impact the scene is having on the viewers. With the second picture I am getting more a sense of the eerie and the ethereal; I can see and feel what those guys must have seen down there by the light of the lantern!

[Fran]

I have to say I'm really getting into this one!!


I had to search around a bit to get a recording of this as I didn't have anything.. so this was the first one I came across:




Jared, your notes are just fantastic. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into this. Like I suspect what others have done here, I copied the text into one doc so I could use it as a guide while I listened.

So the first thing I realised was that this was originally meant as a solo piano piece (more on that later) - surprising! The recording above seems very well done, quite dynamic and its also a fairly "quiet" recording - done before the loudness wars hit! I did recognise the opening promenade, but that was it really, everything else was my first listen. Helped along by Jared's notes, I really got into it and found myself listening to the CD several times!! I thought it was a great idea to listen to the 4 promenades one after another. In my feeble thinking, these kind of link the whole set together - and somehow the "gates" piece at the end acts as a very good bookend to it. Each of the promenades/paintings could stand on their own - essentially not a duff track on it!

Favourites so far:

1st promenade
cattle
tuilleries
catacombs/dead
great gate

The fade out of the cattle is just fantastic, plus the drama/dynamics in the great gate - you gotta love that bell at the end!!

*********************
Now, prompted by the comments back up the thread, I've managed to lay hands on the Richter Sofia concert and will be giving this a listen today (playing as I type) and over the next few days. There's also a MFSL disc with a full arrangement on its way to me as well - at least it will be an "audiophile" recording if nothing else!!


Fran