The title is “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky. The composer was inspired to create the work after visiting the exhibition of paintings; the orchestrator was Maurice Ravel. The piece’s first performance was given by a small orchestra of student musicians conducted by the composer (himself). Pictures at an Exhibition composition inspiration came from Viktor Hartmann’s death (his close friend); he composed it in Hartmann’s honor (Patner, 2019). This famous recording from 1972 features Solti rehearsing and performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In my opinion, it is hard to believe that just a few instruments could produce such rich sounds. I was impressed by Solti’s rehearsal technique; he was very demanding of his orchestra, but they all seemed to respect him and respond well to his direction. Solti’s rehearsal was very strict, and he wanted everything to be perfect. The performers were under pressure to get sounds right; they repeated different sounds until Solti was contented. Solti seemed to enjoy himself more and had a rapport with the performers.
The performance was magnificent, and I could tell that the audience was excited about it. Moussorsky’s music is emotive, and Solti brought out all the passion and drama through humorous body movements. It is a truly unforgettable experience; I am convinced that the singers were so impressed with his mastery of the work that they unanimously agreed to perform it under his direction. In conclusion, Solti’s rehearsal was meticulous, and his performance of Moussorsky was outstanding.
References
Moussorsky. (2016) Solti rehearsal and performance Moussorsk [Video]. YouTube.
Patner, A. (2019). A Portrait in four movements: The Chicago symphony under Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink, and Muti. University of Chicago Press.