Pictures at an exhibition

The brass and percussion sections of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra unite in this arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky’s popular Pictures at an Exhibition. It is one of the world’s best known classical pieces, presented here in a version for a younger audience. The music illustrates ten paintings by artist Viktor Hartmann, who suddenly passed away at just 39 years old. In honour of him, his friends, including Mussorgsky, organised an exhibition in St. Petersburg where over 400 of his pieces were shown.

Mussorgsky was overcome by the memories the exhibition stirred, and soon he had composed his piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition, in the summer of 1874. The promenade theme, which serves as a transition between the different “pictures,” is especially well known.

We will hear Elgar Howarth’s striking arrangement for brass orchestra and percussion.

The host is Ayla Kabaca, a popular presenter at Konserthuset Stockholm who is known from, among other things, Barnens allsång på Skansen (“Children’s Sing-along at Skansen”) and as a TV host on SVT.