Stasov’s comment: “A medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song.”
This movement is thought to be based on a watercolor depiction of an Italian castle and is portrayed in Ravel’s orchestration by a bassoon and alto saxophone duet. Hartmann often placed appropriate human figures in his architectural renderings to suggest scale.
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite of ten piano pieces, plus a recurring, varied Promenade theme, composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece is Mussorgsky’s most famous piano composition, and it has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists. It became further widely known through various orchestrations and arrangements produced by other composers and musicians, with Maurice Ravel’s 1922 adaptation for full symphony orchestra being the most recorded and performed.
