Mussorgsky's Pictures an an Exhibition

[twilightdriad]

Hello all!

I am trying to gather some literature to put together a recital in....eight months. 

My level at present - not very high! But I am performing Beethoven Sonata Op. 2 No. 2 in A Major and Chopin's F# minor Polonaise Op. 44 in April.

Can anyone give me feedback on Mussorgsky's Pictures set? Is it not difficult enough? Too long is one thing - but I can deal with that.

Is Khachaturian's Sabre Dance *not* for college students? A transcription, obviously.

I am divided on my thoughts and feelings. I want a stellar performance that is easy to listen to (short attention spans at my school) but difficult enough to keep me challenged - yet possible in eight months. Hopefully not too much to think about!

Thanks ever so!

I am loving these boards. .....

Rose

[pianonut]

i'm hoping to play that piece well in about ten years.  i suppose that doesn't mean that you can't have it learned in eight months, or even fairly well learned.  but, performance ready, i would think that you'd have to have taken the time to really "interpret" each piece as the painting it is.  and, have read up on the history of the "gate of kiev."  the piece is very nationalistic, sensationalistic (i suppose, too), and tonalistic (if that's a word).  you have the 'bells' that need a bell sound, etc.

try listening to barry douglas's tchaikovsky competition rendition.  it is the best i've ever heard (excepting stokowski's- whom barry must have listened to)

[pianonut]

the history of the gate would be the history of the design.  in actuality, it was not built (if i remember correctly).  there is a lot of info. inside some record covers and photos, for a brief understanding.  mussorgsky must have written something about it himself, too.  i will look some things up for you, if you would like.

[anda]

if i understand correctly, your question is "should i try mussorgski in 8 month?" (if not, do not read further, my english knowledge is limited, so i'll just answer this question):

1. for technical difficulties: try learning baba yaga and the last phrase in gnomus. if you can get these to tempo, the rest shouldn't cause problems.

2. for "interpretation" difficulties: start with samuel goldberg & schmuyle and con mortuis in lingua mortua (at least for me, these were the most difficult).

3. what you necessarily need: powerful (coloristic) imagination and a very good technique (not just "fast and furious" , but also a very good sound/tone/colour technique)

best luck

[jason2711]

i am hoping to play it for a recital at school before i leave (in the next 18 months).  By any means... it is not too easy.

the last four bars in gnomus, the ballet of the unhatched chickens, the market place in limoges and the hut of the baba yaga are the technically most difficult... so try them if you want a jab at the difficulty.  Tuilleries may also present difficulties in getting the lightness of it, depending on your style.

To memorise... it could be a bit of a dog in 8 months.  Otherwise.... fantastic piece

EDIT: since you're playing it to high school students... its length may pose problems in terms of attention span, but with exciting enough playing you should have them hanging on the edges of their seats

[Dikai]

play only if you really need to...
sigh... it's such a beautiful piece in orchestral form...
transcribing it for piano is kind of a bad idea...
all the interesting parts are gone...

[musik_man]

The original was actually for piano.  Ravel's the one who orchestrated it.

I, for one, prefer the piano version.(and I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that I play piano )

[will]

twilightdriad: you may also want to check out the score of how Horowitz performed 'Pictures' at https://horowitzscores.tripod.com/ In general this version has a thicker texture than the original Mussorgsky version and sounds more like the orchestrated version.

[Will Millar]

the last four bars in gnomus, the ballet of the unhatched chickens, the market place in limoges and the hut of the baba yaga are the technically most difficult... so try them if you want a jab at the difficulty.

Do you not think that the Great Gate of Kiev is the most technically difficult; Not all but both pieces after the slow passages. Baba Yaga just needs practice. The last four bars of Gnomus are incredibly difficult as is the market place in Limoges. For The Ballet you need to be good at trills and grace notes.

To memorise... it could be a bit of a dog in 8 months.

 

Not a problem. Take it one song at a time it is easy to memorise. Think of trying to memorise 32 Piano sonatas by Beethoven...That's difficult.

Best Wishes

Will

[jason2711]

 

Do you not think that the Great Gate of Kiev is the most technically difficult

personally i haven't found the great gate of kiev that bad... it just requires good technique with chords and octaves... which if you learn the promenades and gnomus before.... you'll have got used to all right.  It doesn't need to be at insane speeds... its majestic more than virtuosic (in my humble opinion )

  

Not a problem. Take it one song at a time it is easy to memorise. Think of trying to memorise 32 Piano sonatas by Beethoven...That's difficult.

Best Wishes

Will

good point

[maxy]

the brainless chickens running around randomly= hard on memory, easy to mess up.
Maybe not harder than Baba Yaga but certainly nastier! 

[twilightdriad]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all the advice! Gracious, a bunch of brilliant pianists around here.

Thank you, pianonut for the historical side. I have read up some on this, but will surely do more if it works out.

Jason, this is actually for college students - but I am one of very few piano majors. The vocal majors here have no respect.

Will, thanks for the link! Nice.

Will Millar, thanks muchly! Beethoven sonatas - ach! :p

Maxy, the chicken piece looks so childish, yet I know it's a beastie!

Awright. Thanks a bunch. I am still looking around, but I shall let you know if you'd like.

Blessings,

Rose

[pianowelsh]

8 months good luck. Put it this way If you can do it in 8 months with the other rep your studying and play it to a good level then your playing level is NOT modest. The 'gate' is one of the easier bits for me (I am at the sightreading stage of learning it) I anticipate that movements like the market place and the one that sounds like clucking ducks will be the hardest because of the speed leaps and lightness which is needed. The one with the two jews is a tricky one two just to get the right quality of sound and the repeated notes sounding really authentically yiddish. But These are my projected thoughts. Good luck

[PianoStudentReady2Perform]

Well it doesn't sound like your level is "not very good" or however you put it...the f# minor polonaise isn't exactly easy!  That's a difficult piece!  anyways.. good luck with your program.

[rachmaninoff_969]

I just want to add a good luck!  You have chosen a very tough piece to interpret.  Just please make sure everything is unified.  I know each piece is different, but they must all come together.  For the sake of the music, don't rip them off in 8 months just to impress people.  Take the advise given by Rubinstein "Don't pull a piece out of your pocket, but let it flow from your heart."  I find that many of my students are become so obsessed with technical accuracy (especially in the heat of perfomance) that they forget about the music!  That is what matters, the music.  I would practice the piece until you can play it with your eyes closed...then you are ready to interpret it properly (unless you're Richter...he liked using sheet music in performance

Good luck with everything.  If you can play it well after 8 mos., you have all of my confidence in your abilities.

[apion]

Hello all!

I am trying to gather some literature to put together a recital in....eight months. 

My level at present - not very high! But I am performing Beethoven Sonata Op. 2 No. 2 in A Major and Chopin's F# minor Polonaise Op. 44 in April.

Can anyone give me feedback on Mussorgsky's Pictures set? Is it not difficult enough? Too long is one thing - but I can deal with that.

Is Khachaturian's Sabre Dance *not* for college students? A transcription, obviously.

I am divided on my thoughts and feelings. I want a stellar performance that is easy to listen to (short attention spans at my school) but difficult enough to keep me challenged - yet possible in eight months. Hopefully not too much to think about!

Thanks ever so!

I am loving these boards. .....

Rose

Be advised: this piece is one of the top 10 most difficult of all time.  It is a major, supremely major undertaking.

[anda]

8 month is more than enough.

one more piece of advice: find a structure for the whole work - try to figure out:

1. why are the pictures in this order
2. what's with the promenades
3. why are the promenades placed where they are

once you decided on a structure, it will also help you understand each painting - play them accordingly!

best luck

[rodrk352]

This is too much. I just came upon this question, and I don't know what to think. Did the above pianist actually try to tackle Mussorgsky's old warhouse? If so, in what a strange dark maze she is now wandering! We know the feathers will fly, that's for sure, and that piano will take a beating. But is it really worthwhile to massacre a piece that really demands too much technically: and much more to the point, one that you can't possibly do justice interpretively until much later in life? Mussorgsky also wrote "Songs of DEATH," totally heartbreaking music. If you were a college-age singer, would you put that on your program? You may enjoy listening to the music, but who is going to take you seriously if you attempt to play it? Especially if you ask the question like this: Just wondering.... should I play the Songs of Death?