Pictures at an Exhibition is one of the very few classical pieces to which I ever listen. There are ten movements in the piece, each representing a different painting at an art gallery, and the imagery really comes through -- from lumbering ox carts to bustling markets to the majestic Gates at Kiev. But, it was the dreamy, repetitive Promenade which played over and over in my 7th grade head.
When I was in seventh grade, the music teacher at my school in Houston caused a ruckus amongst parents. In her efforts to make the lessons relatable to a bunch of youngsters with out of control hormones, she decided that we would listen to and discuss The Who’s classic 1969 rock opera: Tommy. My mom, and many other parents, expressed disgust about an “opera” whose protagonist was a deaf, dumb, and blind kid who plays pinball.
Frankly, I don’t remember if we ever analyzed Tommy; I think parents got the syllabus changed. I do, however, remember a different piece of music from that class: Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as performed by prog rock pioneers Emerson, Lake, and Powell.
I really loved the entire piece, and I still do to this day. In fact, Pictures at an Exhibition is one of the very few classical pieces to which I ever listen. There are ten movements in the piece, each representing a different painting at an art gallery, and the imagery really comes through — from lumbering ox carts to bustling markets to the majestic Gates at Kiev. But, it was the dreamy, repetitive Promenade which played over and over in my 7th grade head.
Mussorgsky composed Pictures at an Exhibition for the piano in 1874. However, Emerson, Lake, and Powell added lyrics. The very first line has stuck with me ever since: “Lead me from tortured dreams.” Maybe those words cast a spell on my life, for I very rarely remember the content of my dreams.
Here is the ELP version (fast forward to about 6:30 to hear the beginning of the lyrics).
And, here is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with inspirational scenes and paintings embedded: