Modest Petrovich Moussorgsky, Kartinki’s vïstavki ('Pictures at an exhibition')

1. Promenade-1. The Prelude and Interludes, each entitled "Promenade", consists of one theme with variations, which conveys the idea of the composer strolling amongst the pictures.

2. The Gnome Drawing representing a dwarf, who totters with faltering steps on his little crooked legs.

3. Promenade-2

4. The old castle A castle of the Middle Ages (in Italy), in front of which a minstrel sings his song.

5. Promenade-3

6. Tuileries. Children quarreling at play. A crowd of nurses and children in an alley of the Tuileries garden (Paris).

7. Bydlo A Polish wagon with lumbering wheels drawn by oxen

8. Promenade-4

9. Ballet of unhatched chickens. Drawing designed by Hartmannn for a picturesque scene in the ballet 'Trilby'

10. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle. Two polish Jews, one rich, the other poor.

11. Promenade 5

12. The market place at Limoges French market women quarreling.

13. Catacombae. In this picture, Hartmann portrays himself examining the interior of the Catacombes of Paris by the light of a lantern.

14. Con mortuis in lingua mortua. In his original manuscript Moussogsky wrote above the andante "Con mortuis in lingua mortua": The creative genius f the dead. Hartmann leading me to the skulls and apostrophizing them-the skulls suffuse a soft radiance over the interior.

15. Hut of the Baba-Yaga. This drawing of Hartmann represents a clock in the form of a hut standing on hens' claws, belonging to Baba-Yaga (the witch of Russian folk-lore) Moussorgsky has added a theme describing the departure of the witch.

16. The great gate of Kiev. This drawning of Hartmann shows his design of an entrance gate for town of Kiev in the massive style of ancient Russia, surmounted by a slavonic, helmet-shapet cupola.

17. La couturière

18. Une larme (1880)

19. Au village (1880)

20. Intermezzo

21. Plaisanterie enfantine (1859)

22. Feuillet d'album-Méditation

23. En Crimée-Capriccio

24. Impressions de voyage en Crimée



MeijerBär productions

Recording data: 1999 July 16, 17, 18, at Castle Bergh, The Netherlands

Balance engineer: Onno Scholtze

Recording engineer-editor: Hans Meijer

Pianotuning: Dolf van den Assem

Alwin Bär piano

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