Pictures at an Exhibition (English: Pictures at an Exhibition) (Russian: Kartinki s vïstavki)

A suite for solo piano by Russian composer Mussorgsky. Composed in 1874. The direct motivation for creating this piece was an exhibition of the posthumous works of his friend, the painter Viktor Hartmann, who passed away the previous year. It is a collection of individual depictions of ten paintings and the impressions he received from them. In addition to these ten short pieces, such as "The Dwarfs," "The Old Castle," and "The Great Gate of Kiev," a prelude entitled "Promenade" appears several times as an interlude, giving the whole piece a sense of unity. This piece can be said to be music characteristic of the Russian folk school, with its intertwining of naturalistic and lyrical expressions. There are six orchestral arrangements of this work, the most famous of which is by Ravel (1922), which adds further color to the original work through its skillful orchestration.

[Yukio Miyake]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ロシアの作曲家ムソルグスキーのピアノ独奏のための組曲。1874年作曲。前年に世を去った友人の画家ビクトール・ハルトマンの遺作展が直接の創作動機となった。10枚の絵とそこから受けた印象を個々に描写したもので、これら「こびと」「古城」「キエフの大門」など10の小品に加えて、「プロムナード」と題した前奏が間奏としても幾度か現れて全体に統一性を与える。自然主義的な表現と叙情的な表現が錯綜(さくそう)したロシア民族楽派特有の音楽といえよう。この作品には6通りの管弦楽用編曲があるが、そのなかでもっとも有名なのはラベルによるもの(1922)で、巧みなオーケストレーションによって原作にさらに彩りを添えている。

［三宅幸夫］

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