Pictures at an Exhibition was written as a tribute to the works of the painter-architect Victor Hartmann. Mussorgsky composed a series of piano pieces that encapsulated the moods of Hartmann’s water colours. Published and arranged for orchestra after the composer’s own death, the suite displays a wide range of moods, from the sinister melancholy of Gnomus to the grand triumphalism of The Great Gate of Kiev. Each piece carries a pictorial quality that brilliantly evokes the decadence and disparity of 19th Century Russia, (albeit orchestrated by the French Ravel). Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini opens the concert; a richly passionate and frantic piece that perfectly sets the tone for an evening of highly evocative music.
Click here to view an interactive online version of the 2012/13 season brochure
More concerts at Royal Festival Hall
Young Composers Academy
Jun 27 2013, 18:00 - Royal Festival Hall
New works from the Young Composers Academy.
Temirkanov conducts in London
Jun 30 2013, 19:30 - Royal Festival Hall
Temirkanov conducts Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 where he is joined by pianist Maria João Pires
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London 2012/13 season
Explore our 2012/13 season at Southbank Centre
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D
A listening guide to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with James Ehnes.
Philharmonia Shop
Browse through the CDs and MP3s available in the Philharmonia Orchestra's online shop.
