Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 01/22/2013, uploaded on 01/16/2014

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Mussorgsky was a friend of the architect Viktor Alexandrovich Hartmann, whom he also highly valued as an artist. After Hartmann’s premature death in 1873, the composer wrote to Vladimir Stasov: “Woe, woe to the ruined Russian art!”.  Stasov, who also knew Hartmann personally, organized an exhibition of works by the deceased architect at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg.  Mussorgsky frequently visited the gallery and soon these visits resulted in the composition of a cycle of piano miniatures inspired by Hartmann’s paintings. Interestingly, in this great tribute to his friend the composer also found a place for himself in the Promenades, where he depicted himself strolling in the gallery from painting to painting. In reality, however, its significance in the construction of the entire cycle is invaluable: it constitutes an ingenious frame that gives this expressively variegated collection a homogeneous, coherent whole.

The Promenade opens the entire cycle as a direct introduction to the first Picture –The Gnome.  Mussorgsky showed a small figure clumsily staggering on his crooked legs, his entire tragedy and suffering, and finally the composer’s own compassion for this character. The following Promenade leads to The Old Castle, a medieval building under which a troubadour is singing his ballade. The third, and this time very short, Promenade guides us to Tuileries (“Dispute d’enfants après jeux”).The source of inspiration for the following piece, Bydło is unknown.  Here Mussorgsky probably used Hartmann’s sketch “a postcard from Sandomierz” which depicted two oxen pulling a peasant’s cart.  A very short Promenade, this time in the high register, looks forward to the next miniature – Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, inspired by Hartmann’s set design for the ballet “Trilby”. It is followed by a spectacular Picture – Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle – inspired by Hartmann’s two watercolours: “Rich Jew in a Fur Cap” and “Poor Jew”. Goldenberg, the rich Jew, stalks with dignity and high self-esteem, he is awe-inspiring, whereas the poor Jew, Schmuÿle, tries to catch up with him. There is sorrow and humility in his voice.  For a moment both Jews seem to go side by side, the composer ingeniously linking the two portraits together. The fifth Promenade leads to The Market at Limoges, the character of which is described by Mussorgsky as a funny quarrel between French female street vendors. The eighth Picture consists of two clearly distinguished movements, the first inspired by Hartmann’s painting - The Catacombs of Paris, while the second – Con mortuis in lingua mortua – pictured Mussorgsky talking with death itself. The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga) portrays the terrifying figure of the fairytale heroine.  The Great Gate of Kiev, which drew on Hartmann’s otherwise modest and unfinished project, provides a spectacular finale to the work. The Promenade in this movement is like the composer’s signature.    Krystian Tkaczewski

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.