Pictures at an Exhibition

Pictures at an Exhibition, composed by Modest Mussorgsky in 1874, is the rare work of music where the individual musical ideas are not terribly impressive on their own but the work as a whole, by virtue of its conceptual foundation and subsequent construction, is ingenious. While perhaps not perfectly entertained throughout, when finished listening, one is left with the idea that any changes to the score would reduce it.

I wish not to ruin the surprise for anyone who might decide to listen to this work, because the journey of hearing it for the first time is not something I would want you to miss. Therefore, I will refrain from giving my account of that journey, the account that I gathered from my first listen and that I later confirmed to be accurate. The work's title is the only hint you will need.

Finally, this is an example of music one must listen to from start to finish and with no interruptions, lest its meaning be lost. It is program music, as opposed to absolute music, meaning that the music is supposed to evoke a particular sequence of events or personal experiences. The wonder is that the music's program is both powerful and unmistakable.

You can listen to the full work at naxos.com, Catalogue No. 8.550044. This CD contains the original piano version, which I recommend listening to first. There is also a popular version arranged for orchestra by Maurice Ravel.