Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Marc Fitze, Orgue-Celesta

Modest MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade – Allegro giusto, nel modo russico; senza allegrezza – I. Gnomus – Promenade – Moderato commodo assai con delicatezza – II. Il vecchio Castello – Promenade – Moderato non tanto, pesamente – III. Tuileries. Dispute d’enfants après jeux – IV. Bydlo – Promenade – Tranquillo – V. Ballet des poussins dans leur coque – VI. Samuel Goldenberg et Schmuyle – VII. Limoges. Le Marché – VIII. Catacombae. Sepulcrum romanum – Cum mortuis in lingua mortua – IX. La cabane sur des pattes de poules. Baba-Yaga – X. La grande porte de Kiev – Pyotr Iliych THAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, TH 35: IIb. Danses caractéristiques. Danse de la Fée Dragée – Paul JUON: Berceuse, Op. 1, No. 5 (Arr. for Harmonium by Karg-Elert) – Idylle “Pan et la Syrinx”, Op. 18 No. 2 (Arr. for Harmonium by Karg-Elert) – Élégie “Napaïe en profonde affliction”, Op. 18, No. 6 (Arr. for Harmonium by Karg-Elert) – Rêverie “Oreade songeuse”, Op. 18, No. 3 (Arr. for Harmonium by Karg-Elert) – Duettino, Op. 1, No. 4 (Arr. for Harmonium by Karg-Elert).

Marc Fitze, Orgue-Celesta.

https://www.marcfitze.com/

The Transcriptions

Hardly any other musical work has been transcribed as frequently as Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The very first edition, published posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886, already represented a form of arrangement. Even later urtext editions based on Mussorgsky’s 1874 manuscript did not resolve the inherent tension between the monumental sonic imagination of the composer and the relatively sparse texture of his piano writing. This discrepancy has inspired pianists (such as Vladimir Horowitz, Arcadi Volodos, among others) to enrich the original material with virtuosic elaborations, and conductors to create colorful orchestrations.

Among the many orchestral versions – by Mikhail Tushmalov (1889), Henry Wood (1915), Leopold Stokowski (1939), Sergei Gorchakov (1954), and Dmitry Ashkenazy (1982) – it is Maurice Ravel’s orchestration from 1922 that remains preeminent. Ravel’s version secured international fame for Mussorgsky’s composition and influenced all subsequent orchestrations. One might therefore claim that Mussorgsky’s manuscript virtually calls out to be reimagined.

The instrument

Marc Fitze’s arrangement for Harmonium-Celesta occupies a space between the original piano version and the orchestral arrangements. The fact that Mussorgsky’s score can be so effectively realized on the harmonium is due to the nature of the instrument itself, which was invented specifically to enrich the piano with the coloristic and dynamic possibilities of the orchestra. The numerous duos for piano and harmonium, as well as the hybrid instruments that combine both keyboards, belong to a broader pianistic-symphonic tradition – from the early physharmonica, which was slid under the piano keyboard, to Franz Liszt’s multi-manual Piano-Orgue, and finally to the sonic refinement of the Orgue-Célesta, patented by Victor Mustel in 1888. This latter instrument offers a wide range of symphonic effects, thanks to its combination of the Celesta’s percussive touch dynamics and the wind dynamics of the harmonium.

The Orgue-Célesta #484-37 used in this recording is the third instrument built by Victor Mustel in 1889, immediately following his patent. Its distinguishing features include the delicately responsive Broadwood-style action of the Celesta and the particularly powerful yet velvety tone quality of the harmonium stops.

Marc Fitze is one of the most active organists of his generation on the international stage. A frequent guest at major organ centres across Europe, Russia, Japan and the Americas, he serves as vice president of the Jehan Alain Association, succeeding Marie-Claire Alain. A recognised expert, he teaches organ at the Conservatory of Bern and organ building at the Bern University of the Arts. Born in 1974 in Berne, he studied with Guy Bovet in Basel and Yuko Hayashi in Boston, continuing his training with Luigi Fernando Tagliavini, Marie-Claire Alain, William Porter, Peter Planyavsky, Joris Verdin and Jean Boyer. He is also a noted harmoniumist, collector of historical keyboard instruments, and author of organ works and pedagogical texts.

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