Jeff Counts and Carol Anderson share background information about the upcoming Utah Symphony performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. 

For tickets to Utah Symphony's November 2024 performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, visit: https://utahsymphony.org/event/id/33379

Ghost Light Episode 9.4 - Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition

Hypnagogic Polka [original instrumental]

Depressive Suicidal Mariachi [original instrumental]

Please visit www.themusicofalexthode.com for more information.

Repertoire:
"Pictures at an Exhibition" — Modest Mussorgsky
"Little Fugue in G Minor" — J.S. Bach
"Short Ride in a Fast Machine" — John Adams
"Hymn to a Blue Hour" — John Mackey
"Blow it Up, Start Again" — Jonathan Newman

Commissioned by the Alvin High School Marching Band (Alvin, TX)

For Art's Sake

Symphony No. 3, Mvt. III [original instrumental]

Recordings heard on this track: 

Mussorgsky, Pictures from an Exhibition
Rodzinski, New York Philharmonic 

Ravel, “Daphnis & Chloe: Suite No. 2”
Rodzinski, Cleveland Orchestra

Falla, “El Sombrero de Tres Picos” (“The Three Cornered Hat”): Danza Finale
Rodzinski, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Albeniz, El Corpus en Sevilla (arr. Arbos)
Rodzinski, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
Rozinski, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Arthur Wilensky Talk About Artur Rodzinski

Enjoy the journey not the destination. The inspiration came from Mussorgskys Pictures of an exhibition

Promenade1

Enjoy the journey not the destination. The inspiration came from Mussorgskys Pictures of an exhibition.

Promenade2

Frank's Interlude

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
Title: Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade I
Composed: 1874
Performer: Justin Towson – piano

The opening Promenade sets the stage for Mussorgsky’s musical gallery tour, representing the composer himself walking between paintings. Bold and stately, yet rhythmically irregular, the theme captures the uneven pace of footsteps and the weight of contemplation. This motif recurs throughout the suite in varying moods, grounding the listener as each new “picture” is revealed.

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade I

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
Title: Pictures at an Exhibition: I. Gnomus
Composed: 1874
Performer: Justin Towson – piano

Gnomus creeps across the stage like a figure from a forgotten folktale — small in stature but casting an enormous, unsettling shadow. Inspired by a sketch of a deformed toy, this gnome doesn’t dance so much as stagger, his crooked gait echoed in Mussorgsky’s jarring rhythms and sudden silences. The music teeters between menace and mischief, capturing the uncanny sense that something tiny and odd might still hold strange power in the dark. Equal parts eerie and entrancing, this piece sets the tone for a gallery where nothing is quite what it seems.

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: I. Gnomus

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
Title: Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade II
Composed: 1874
Performer: Justin Towson – piano

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade II

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
Title: Pictures at an Exhibition: II. Il vecchio castello
Composed: 1874
Performer: Justin Towson – piano

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: II. Il vecchio castello

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
Title: Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade III
Composed: 1874
Performer: Justin Towson – piano

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade III

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
Title: Pictures at an Exhibition: III. Tuileries
Composed: 1874
Performer: Justin Towson – piano

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition: III. Tuileries

Transcription by Maurice Ravel
Produced by Phillip Black for EVB Productions
Recorded by Orchestral Tools at Teldex Studio Berlin Germany

Pictures at an Exhibition 1

Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition 1

Pictures at an Exhibition 2

Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition 2

Pictures at an Exhibition 3

Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition 3

Message to collab for free 🌸 Lmao, capybaras can't type. Ballin', but at what cost? Eclectic #lofi #hip-hop and other stuff 🧐

Check out my alt for AI slop @shodaminh-daylight

A lifelong student of the piano, I started this project as a way to capture nice recordings of songs I played as a child while finding new material and continuing to grow and challenge myself as a musician while working and studying for my PhD. I hope to share with you what AI cannot—the human element and emotional range of the piano.

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Please stay tuned for further developments and enjoy!

The stage is dark, but the conversation is just beginning. Welcome to Utah Symphony | Utah Opera's Ghost Light podcast, a behind the curtain look into the world of classical music and opera and the artists who make it. Hosted by Jeff Counts and Carol Anderson. Produced and edited by Robert Bedont.

Alex Thode (he/him) would first like you to know that not only is the “e” at the end of his last name not silent, but that he is also a composer and arranger most known for his work in the pageantry arts. He resides in Waukesha, Wisconsin with his cat, Buzz. An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Alex composes and arranges for marching bands across the continental United States.

Alex's clientele have been Bands of America (BOA) Regional Champions and Finalists, UIL State Finalists and Area Champions, and WGI Winds World Champions, with Finalists in every classification. He has also had the privilege of having his arrangements performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Bandfest.

In addition to his compositions and arrangements for the pageantry arts, Alex also composes symphonic band and chamber percussion works.

In his free time, Alex enjoys watching movies and believing he’s a professional film critic, hiking and pretending that he’s athletic, traveling to National Parks — of which he’d eventually like to visit all — and acting like he’s Marco Polo, playing piano, guitar and a variety of kalimbas, and being with good company.

Solo artist.  Song and dance man.  Folk.  Blues.  Contact:  desertersongs@yahoo.com Film critic at https://paulydeathwish.com/

New tracks tagged #Mussorgsky