Toscanini regarded this orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition as a genuine treatise on instrumentation, on a par with that of Berlioz: scored for the same instrumental forces as La Valse, Ravel’s version quickly established itself ahead of all the many competing orchestrations of Mussorgsky’s piano suite! In François-Xavier Roth’s view, La Valse and the Pictures together represent the peak of the composer’s output for the symphony orchestra of his time – that is to say, as the musicians of Les Siècles reconstruct it for us today. What a joy to get back to the original colours of this music!
MODEST MUSSORGSKY [1839-1881] Les Tableaux d'une exposition (orch. M. Ravel) Pictures at an Exhibition / Bilder einer Ausstellung · Promenade I Allegro giusto, nel modo russico; senza allegrezza, ma poco sostenuto (1'33) · 1. Gnomus/The gnome/Der Gnom. Sempre vivo (2'28) · Promenade II Moderato comodo e con delicatezza (0'58) · 2. Il vecchio castello/The old castle/Das alte Schloß. Andante molto cantabile et con dolore (4'19) · Promenade III Moderato non tanto, pesante (0'32) · 3. Tuileries (Dispute d'enfants après jeux)/The Tuileries Gardens/Die Tuilerien. Allegretto non troppo, capriccioso (1'09) · 4. Bydlo Sempre moderato pesante (3'07) · Promenade IV Tranquillo (0'40) · 5. Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques/Ballet of the unhatched chicks. Scherzino. Vivo, leggiero (1'16) · 6. Samuel Goldenberg et Schmuÿle Andante. Grave - energico (2'16) · 7. Limoges - Le Marché/The marketplace in Limoges/Der Marktplatz von Limoges. Allegretto vivo, sempre scherzando (1'19) · 8. Catacombæ (Sepulcrum Romanum)/The catacombs/Die Katakomben. Largo (1'45) · Cum mortuis in lingua mortua/With the dead in a dead language. Andante non troppo, con lamento (1'53) · 9. La Cabane sur des pattes de poule/The hut on fowl's legs/Die Hütte auf Hühnerfüßen. Allegro con brio, feroce (3'21) · 10. La Grande Porte de Kiev/The great gate of Kiev/Das Heldentor. Allegro alla breve. Maestoso. Con grandezza (5'05) MAURICE RAVEL [1875-1937] · La Valse, poème chorégraphique M. 72 (12'17)
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