Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Ravel's Tzigane

About the Event

The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra celebrates Ravel's 150th anniversary together with master violinist Renaud Capuçon. In addition to Ravel's spirited and seductive Tzigane for violin and orchestra, we will also hear his masterful orchestration of Mussorgsky's piano cycle Pictures at an Exhibition, a musical impression of ten imaginative paintings.

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
Mussorgsky's masterpiece has become best known thanks to Ravel's colorful orchestration, but the Russian composer originally wrote it for piano. It was a tribute to his friend, the architect and visual artist Viktor Hartmann. Mussorgsky selected ten striking paintings by his friend, who died far too soon, and then conjured up a musical exhibition in which these paintings come to life: from famous Russian fairy‐tale figures to impressions of everyday life in Russia.

Renaud Capuçon plays Ravel's Tzigane
That Renaud Capuçon is not only a brilliant violinist, but also a successful conductor, the versatile French musician proved two summers ago, when he was a guest at Het Concertgebouw as a conducting soloist. That he is cherished as a national star was demonstrated, for example, by the impressive live performance with his brother, cellist Gautier Capuçon, during the festive opening ceremony of the restored Notre‐Dame in Paris. Now he and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra will play Ravel's overpowering Tzigane, in honor of this beloved French composer's 150th birthday.