Beautiful performance. I have an album with the original piano on one side and the Revel orchestration on the other, Very cinematic as it is indeed a tour of an art gallery.
Eternal masterpiece! Was really waiting for this…there are different ways to hear this work either in its original solo piano form (which is UNBELIEVABLY genius) or with Ravel’s orchestration (which is GENIUS on top of GENIUS, endlessly creative)….Mussorgsky wrote it in memory of a close friend of his, it represents a walk through a gallery where you stop to admire many different “paintings” (which actually exist btw) and then move to another one (that beautiful “promenade” theme that introduces and “guides” you through the gallery…sublime.. religiously tranquil but proud…its just divine)…needless to say I love it
Though the titles show up briefly in the video -the pictures represented by the different movements are The Gnome”, which portrays a dwarf through irregular rhythms. “The Old Castle”, which is a grim take on a troubadour singing on castle grounds. “Tuileries” is a depiction of playing children at the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. “Cattle”, which is a thoughtful projection of a large Polish ox cart. “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” depicts a work by Hartmann with regard to a children’s ballet. “Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle”, where the audience can comprehend a shift from loud to a low-profile theme in the conversation between the Jews. “The Market at Limoges”, which reminds of folk songs. “The Catacombs”, which is wrought with a cold progression of the tune with ominous chords. “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” is dark and horrifying, complete with nightmarish imagery. “The Great Gate of Kiev” is the final movement with virtuosic octaves Baba Yaga, Hut on Fowl's Legs, is heavy metal before there was heavy metal.
When these pieces show up I always realize how careful my father was with exposing me to new stuff as a child. Years later I realized these were all the standard repertoire pieces: Beethoven 7, Bruckner 9, Tchaikovsky 2, Mozart 40 and 41, Schubert "Great" C-Major (7, 8 or 9 depending on who you ask), Elgar Enigma and this, were among the very first pieces I ever heard. Then at age 8 he tried "Sacre" on me and I hated it at first, at least part one was an uncrackable nut for me. Now I think it's the best piece ever written. Back then it was this piece. I just loved it.
I thought while watching Gidi that he was interested until the penultimate movement "The Hut on Hen's Legs" where he really started to get into the piece. And when it led dramatically and assuredly to "The Great Gate of Kiev", his feelings turned from interest to love! The outstanding scoring for full orchestra by Ravel unleashed the power of the great gate, and transformed this piece from good into "instant classic". Such a great performance, too!
Mussorgsky is one of the great Russian alcoholics. Amazing works for their time. It should also be borne in mind that his music is very national, especially if you refer to the original.
This piece is really special for me because it was the big pandemic project that I was involved in while live concerts were shut down. There were a bunch of virtual performances of various short orchestral pieces that year, but the Socially Distant Orchestra took it a step further and played the entire Pictures at an Exhibition. (I played viola in that.) And that's well worth checking out as an example of music bringing the world together.
The promenade may feel familiar to you, because it is a staple on the German curriculum (alongside pieces such as Vltava, Peter and the Wolf or Le sacre du printemps). I myself had it in 7th or 8th grade. The entire piece depicts an art exhibition of Mussorgsky's good friend Victor Hartmann (originally written for Piano and later transcribed for orchestra, most famously by Maurice Ravel). Some of his paintings are still available online. Similar to Hartmann Mussorgsky left us much to early. He was a heavy drinker and lost his life to it at age 41.
Don´t tell you recognize this piece from SAO: Gun Gale Online (2018). When it clicked to me I was very excited as an anime fan and a classical music fan.
Oh, this was my request to you once)) I adore the version orchestrated by Ravel. One of my most favourite classical piece in general. Thank you for the reaction!!
Good to see your enjoyment! Sviatoslav Richter found the original piano version of this piece to be the best russian piano music ever written. There are good recordings, I like Kissin for example.
I know orchestral music is your gig, but you should totally listen to Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s live cover of Pictures at an Exhibition when you find the time. It’s a 70s psychedelic organ rock trip 🎉
I have a couple great memories attached to this piece. I played the last two movements on violin in High School orchestra. In addition this is one of my partner's favorite classical pieces, period. I bought us a symphony date to see it performed live.
An absolute masterpiece! The orchestra in my city just performed this one this past weekend and I got to see it live; it was magnificent. The original version Mussorgsky wrote for solo piano is MUCH different--Ravel definitely brought an awful lot to the table with his orchestration--but I highly recommend spinning that one sometime to see the difference.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Gidi 😁! I would recommend that you listen to the Chicago Symphony’s recording of The Pines of Rome by Respighi as I have watched many of your reactions and really think you’ll enjoy it!
A couple pieces you should definitely check out. The Coronation scene from Mussorgsky's opera Boris Gudonov has the same glorious energy as The Gate of Kiev. And I think you would really enjoy Rimsky-Korsakov's Suite from Mlada, especially the final Procession of the Nobles.
You should try "Night on bald moutain" (the original version has been recorded for instance by Abbado and Berlin Philharmonic). Glad you liked those pieces by Ravel/Mussorgski.
The best recording of this sublime work is the Atlanta Symphony with Yoel Levi conducting. I heard it first as a kid and still to this day it reigns supreme. Especially the Great Gate of Kiev.
I was a bassoonist in my younger days and this was a challenging but exciting piece to play. I can remember how thrilling it was to finish the Great Gate and have it reverberate around an empty hall during rehearsals. It’s interesting that Ravel seems to feature the winds much more in this piece. Lots of wonderful brass and different instrumentations like contrabassoon, piccolo trumpet and saxophone.
No disrespect to this performance but the recording of this piece from Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is unmatched. I have never seen one that touched me and thrilled me as much. Not only that but there is also a brief explanation by Solti himself on the differences between the Mussorgski piano version and the orchestration by Ravel as well as some snippets of the rehersal and it enhances the experience tenfold. I was lucky that this performance was the very first I listened of this and I was moved to my very core. I almost started tearing up at the and I'm not one to do that. I highly recommend you check out both the explanation and the performance even if you don't record it.
So enjoying your enjoyment and appreciation of these moving, beautiful works. I would love to "share" with you Aaron Copland's "Fanfare For the Common Man" - a very brief (under 2 and a half minutes!) but powerful work. If you are interested, there is a 2012 BBC Proms performance on TH-cam that is electrifying. Thank you, for bringing this music to the next generations.
Piece of my youth. I highly recommend first reading roughly what the "movements" describe (there's a concrete paining for each!) and then listening to the original piano solo version Mussorgsky wrote. Ravel's orchestration is wonderful too, though :) Thank you so much for reacting to this Gidi!
As a suggestion, you should really do a reaction to Pines of Rome by Respighi. The Karajan version with Berlin Philharmonicin Japan, it's poor video quality but the finale is unmatched. Speakingnof catacombes, the Pines near a Catacombe is a gem!
Good day, I wanted to say how much i appreciate what you doing. There isnt much people reacting to classical music, and not many people i know listening to it either, so watching someone reacting to it is pretty cool. However as a Liszt enjoyer i couldn't not notise that you havent reacted to one of his pieces in a long time. If you, by any chance, planning to do some videos on his music my personal suggestions are Dante symphony or his symphonical poems (Mazeppa and les Preludes are really good). But of course react on what you like, i'll be enjoying your videos anyway. -Anyway one more thanks for what you doing and, of course, hope you doing well. (Btw sorry for my retarded english)
Beautiful performance. I have an album with the original piano on one side and the Revel orchestration on the other, Very cinematic as it is indeed a tour of an art gallery.
Eternal masterpiece! Was really waiting for this…there are different ways to hear this work either in its original solo piano form (which is UNBELIEVABLY genius) or with Ravel’s orchestration (which is GENIUS on top of GENIUS, endlessly creative)….Mussorgsky wrote it in memory of a close friend of his, it represents a walk through a gallery where you stop to admire many different “paintings” (which actually exist btw) and then move to another one (that beautiful “promenade” theme that introduces and “guides” you through the gallery…sublime.. religiously tranquil but proud…its just divine)…needless to say I love it
Hi Daniel, I agree 100%; thank you very much for your comment; it saved me the time I otherwise would have spent writing one! RogerC 9/9/23
So big. No matter the size of the ensemble. It's the brilliance of the orchestration the can make it sound so big,
damn this was outstanding.. major props to Ravel and Mussorgsky
Nice to se Gidi back.
Now that we are doing basics can we do Gregiev directs the Firebird.
Though the titles show up briefly in the video -the pictures represented by the different movements are
The Gnome”, which portrays a dwarf through irregular rhythms.
“The Old Castle”, which is a grim take on a troubadour singing on castle grounds.
“Tuileries” is a depiction of playing children at the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.
“Cattle”, which is a thoughtful projection of a large Polish ox cart.
“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” depicts a work by Hartmann with regard to a children’s ballet.
“Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle”, where the audience can comprehend a shift from loud to a low-profile theme in the conversation between the Jews.
“The Market at Limoges”, which reminds of folk songs.
“The Catacombs”, which is wrought with a cold progression of the tune with ominous chords.
“The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” is dark and horrifying, complete with nightmarish imagery.
“The Great Gate of Kiev” is the final movement with virtuosic octaves
Baba Yaga, Hut on Fowl's Legs, is heavy metal before there was heavy metal.
Great summary, thanks.
I'm glad we're slowly getting around to more of the standard repertoire :)
When these pieces show up I always realize how careful my father was with exposing me to new stuff as a child. Years later I realized these were all the standard repertoire pieces: Beethoven 7, Bruckner 9, Tchaikovsky 2, Mozart 40 and 41, Schubert "Great" C-Major (7, 8 or 9 depending on who you ask), Elgar Enigma and this, were among the very first pieces I ever heard. Then at age 8 he tried "Sacre" on me and I hated it at first, at least part one was an uncrackable nut for me. Now I think it's the best piece ever written.
Back then it was this piece. I just loved it.
I thought while watching Gidi that he was interested until the penultimate movement "The Hut on Hen's Legs" where he really started to get into the piece. And when it led dramatically and assuredly to "The Great Gate of Kiev", his feelings turned from interest to love! The outstanding scoring for full orchestra by Ravel unleashed the power of the great gate, and transformed this piece from good into "instant classic". Such a great performance, too!
I think the performance is rather sluggish. Gnomus for example is much too slow. Tullieres is also grinding to a halt in the middle section.
Mussorgsky is one of the great Russian alcoholics. Amazing works for their time. It should also be borne in mind that his music is very national, especially if you refer to the original.
Mussorgsky truly was a genius
Mussorgsky also composed A Night on Bald Mountain, which is short but GREAT.
The most amazing thing about this piece is that it was written for the piano. Ravel truly way a genius.
My personal classical favourite for 38 years since I was 17 - plus Khovanshchina.
oh shittt he found it! huge!
This piece is really special for me because it was the big pandemic project that I was involved in while live concerts were shut down. There were a bunch of virtual performances of various short orchestral pieces that year, but the Socially Distant Orchestra took it a step further and played the entire Pictures at an Exhibition. (I played viola in that.) And that's well worth checking out as an example of music bringing the world together.
The promenade may feel familiar to you, because it is a staple on the German curriculum (alongside pieces such as Vltava, Peter and the Wolf or Le sacre du printemps). I myself had it in 7th or 8th grade. The entire piece depicts an art exhibition of Mussorgsky's good friend Victor Hartmann (originally written for Piano and later transcribed for orchestra, most famously by Maurice Ravel). Some of his paintings are still available online.
Similar to Hartmann Mussorgsky left us much to early. He was a heavy drinker and lost his life to it at age 41.
That was a slow-burner, with Bychkov choosing such broad tempi throughout, but it certainly worked for me. I love this piece!
Don´t tell you recognize this piece from SAO: Gun Gale Online (2018). When it clicked to me I was very excited as an anime fan and a classical music fan.
Oh, this was my request to you once)) I adore the version orchestrated by Ravel. One of my most favourite classical piece in general. Thank you for the reaction!!
Good to see your enjoyment! Sviatoslav Richter found the original piano version of this piece to be the best russian piano music ever written. There are good recordings, I like Kissin for example.
That principal basoonist!!!
I know orchestral music is your gig, but you should totally listen to Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s live cover of Pictures at an Exhibition when you find the time. It’s a 70s psychedelic organ rock trip 🎉
I have a couple great memories attached to this piece. I played the last two movements on violin in High School orchestra. In addition this is one of my partner's favorite classical pieces, period. I bought us a symphony date to see it performed live.
An absolute masterpiece! The orchestra in my city just performed this one this past weekend and I got to see it live; it was magnificent.
The original version Mussorgsky wrote for solo piano is MUCH different--Ravel definitely brought an awful lot to the table with his orchestration--but I highly recommend spinning that one sometime to see the difference.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Gidi 😁! I would recommend that you listen to the Chicago Symphony’s recording of The Pines of Rome by Respighi as I have watched many of your reactions and really think you’ll enjoy it!
Plus the fountains of Rome
Two of the most famous trumpet solos! Amazing piece
A couple pieces you should definitely check out. The Coronation scene from Mussorgsky's opera Boris Gudonov has the same glorious energy as The Gate of Kiev. And I think you would really enjoy Rimsky-Korsakov's Suite from Mlada, especially the final Procession of the Nobles.
it would be better if he listened to the whole pieces.
You should try "Night on bald moutain" (the original version has been recorded for instance by Abbado and Berlin Philharmonic). Glad you liked those pieces by Ravel/Mussorgski.
The best recording of this sublime work is the Atlanta Symphony with Yoel Levi conducting. I heard it first as a kid and still to this day it reigns supreme. Especially the Great Gate of Kiev.
I was a bassoonist in my younger days and this was a challenging but exciting piece to play. I can remember how thrilling it was to finish the Great Gate and have it reverberate around an empty hall during rehearsals.
It’s interesting that Ravel seems to feature the winds much more in this piece. Lots of wonderful brass and different instrumentations like contrabassoon, piccolo trumpet and saxophone.
the French love their woodwinds (thankfully)
No disrespect to this performance but the recording of this piece from Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is unmatched. I have never seen one that touched me and thrilled me as much. Not only that but there is also a brief explanation by Solti himself on the differences between the Mussorgski piano version and the orchestration by Ravel as well as some snippets of the rehersal and it enhances the experience tenfold. I was lucky that this performance was the very first I listened of this and I was moved to my very core. I almost started tearing up at the and I'm not one to do that. I highly recommend you check out both the explanation and the performance even if you don't record it.
Theres Pictures at exhibition soviet cartoon also, take note.
So enjoying your enjoyment and appreciation of these moving, beautiful works. I would love to "share" with you Aaron Copland's "Fanfare For the Common Man" - a very brief (under 2 and a half minutes!) but powerful work. If you are interested, there is a 2012 BBC Proms performance on TH-cam that is electrifying. Thank you, for bringing this music to the next generations.
Piece of my youth. I highly recommend first reading roughly what the "movements" describe (there's a concrete paining for each!) and then listening to the original piano solo version Mussorgsky wrote. Ravel's orchestration is wonderful too, though :)
Thank you so much for reacting to this Gidi!
Great piece of music!!! 💙💙💙💙💙🦩✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Please please please : Shereazade by Rimsky Korsakov and Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (no spoilers anyone ! ;-)
As a suggestion, you should really do a reaction to Pines of Rome by Respighi. The Karajan version with Berlin Philharmonicin Japan, it's poor video quality but the finale is unmatched. Speakingnof catacombes, the Pines near a Catacombe is a gem!
composers take note - art galleries = great pieces of music
Grandioso.
Now to react to the original piano piece, Gidi - try to imagine how one pianist paints a picture of the Great Gate of Kiev! 🙂
Hi Martin, Do you have a favorite performance of the original piano piece? (I like the one by Alice Sara Ott.) RogerC 9/9/23
@@071949Valentina Lisitsa
Thinking way back, Roger, I seem to remember that Vladimir Ashkenazy did a pretty good recording back in the 1960s . Cheers@@071949
see it live, you will not believe the sound
Great piece to have as an anthem 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Love Great Gate
30:41 O grande portal de Kiev é a parte que mais amo dessa música 🎶
Try "Khovanshchina", at least the first act.
Good day, I wanted to say how much i appreciate what you doing. There isnt much people reacting to classical music, and not many people i know listening to it either, so watching someone reacting to it is pretty cool. However as a Liszt enjoyer i couldn't not notise that you havent reacted to one of his pieces in a long time. If you, by any chance, planning to do some videos on his music my personal suggestions are Dante symphony or his symphonical poems (Mazeppa and les Preludes are really good). But of course react on what you like, i'll be enjoying your videos anyway. -Anyway one more thanks for what you doing and, of course, hope you doing well. (Btw sorry for my retarded english)
you should react to kazuhito yamashitas cover of the piece on guitar.
still lookin to see you check out some alkan!!!
there's a chance you might recognize this from Animusic.
lets go! you seen my other comment
Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé plis