“Pictures at an Exhibition” and “Isle of the Dead” on tonight’s “Evening Concert”
Mussorgsky's orchestral suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" was inspired by his friend's artwork...the Rachmaninoff piece was, as well, inspired by a painting.
Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
It is more than apocrypha to say that Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" are an attempt to capture the visual artwork of the "Exhibition", artwork of his recently deceased friend Viktor Hartmann.
National Youth Orchestra of America plays Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”
History is full of examples of "What if?"s. What if Mussorgsky's artist friend Viktor Hartmann had lived longer? Would we have "Pictures at an Exhibition"?