Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition

[BBMmk2]

I have three recordings of this work. Berliner Phil/Rattle; Valerei Gergiev, and Fritz Reiner. Elgar Howarth has made an excellant transcription for brass ensemble, imo, sounds better played in the brass band format!

[Pulcinella]

This seems to be the best of a few threads on Pictures from an exhibition (in the Ravel orchestration) to post this background information, new to me, gleaned from Roger Nichols' book on Ravel.

Apparently, Mussorgsky's original version was not published until 1931, some years after Ravel received the commission from Koussevitzky to orchestrate the work (1922). Ravel tried to borrow a copy of the manuscript, but was unsuccessful, and Nichols suggests that he must have had to resort instead to using an edition produced by Rimsky-Korsakov, published in 1886, which included a number of reworkings, errors, and misreadings.

Maybe, therefore, subsequent orchestrations have been able to be more faithful to Mussorgsky's original intentions.

[richardfinegold]

This seems to be the best of a few threads on Pictures from an exhibition (in the Ravel orchestration) to post this background information, new to me, gleaned from Roger Nichols' book on Ravel.

Apparently, Mussorgsky's original version was not published until 1931, some years after Ravel received the commission from Koussevitzky to orchestrate the work (1922). Ravel tried to borrow a copy of the manuscript, but was unsuccessful, and Nichols suggests that he must have had to resort instead to using an edition produced by Rimsky-Korsakov, published in 1886, which included a number of reworkings, errors, and misreadings.

Maybe, therefore, subsequent orchestrations have been able to be more faithful to Mussorgsky's original intentions.

I have no idea, but it does make me wonder about the performance tradition of the work prior to Ravel. Was it a well known work, or only known to a few cognoscenti?

[Bryn]

I have no idea, but it does make me wonder about the performance tradition of the work prior to Ravel. Was it a well known work, or only known to a few cognoscenti?

Though not published or performed in public prior to its composer's death, his friend Rimsky-Korsakov arranged publication of a version with amendments of his own a few years later. This was the standard version played until the 1930s when a 'corrected' version appeared. However, it was not until the 1990s that an edition based on the original manuscript was made and later (2014) recorded by Andrej Ivanovich Hoteev. This can be heard on:



It would thus have to be a very new orchestration in order to reflect Mussorgsky's original conception.

[Pulcinella]

The Boosey and Hawkes Pocket score of the Ravel orchestration (the title page says M P Mussorgsky; orchestration by Maurice Ravel) is copyright 1929 by Editions Russe de Musique, printed by arrangement Boosey and Hawkes Inc., New York.
It includes the piano version, but no edition/editor is credited, though the introductory notes say:

In this miniature score the original piano version has been placed side by side with Ravel's score, thus providing a most useful opportunity for the study of modern orchestration.

The notes also mention that a careful study will reveal a considerable number of small alterations between the original and Ravel's score.

[Bryn]

The Boosey and Hawkes Pocket score of the Ravel orchestration (the title page says M P Mussorgsky; orchestration by Maurice Ravel) is copyright 1929 by Editions Russe de Musique, printed by arrangement Boosey and Hawkes Inc., New York.
It includes the piano version, but no edition/editor is credited, though the introductory notes say:

In this miniature score the original piano version has been placed side by side with Ravel's score, thus providing a most useful opportunity for the study of modern orchestration.

The notes also mention that a careful study will reveal a considerable number of small alterations between the original and Ravel's score.

Except it was not the original score. That was only made public in the 1990s.

[Pulcinella]

Except it was not the original score. That was only made public in the 1990s.

Yes: it is a bit remiss of B&H not to acknowledge the editor of the piano version.
Those notes are in the form of a (bilingual: English and Spanish!) four-page leaflet inserted in the score, copyright 1942.
At least they call the work Pictures from an exhibition.

[Bryn]

Yes: it is a bit remiss of B&H not to acknowledge the editor of the piano version.
Those notes are in the form of a (bilingual: English and Spanish!) four-page leaflet inserted in the score, copyright 1942.
At least they call the work Pictures from an exhibition.

Something the Berlin CLassics recording of the original fails to do in its English 'translation' of the title.

[vinteuil]

At least they call the work Pictures from an exhibition.

... I wondered when Bryn's King Charles's Head was going to be (re-)introduced...


.

[Pulcinella]

... I wondered when Bryn's King Charles's Head was going to be introduced...


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In my post #17!
I wouldn't risk offending Bryn.