Modest Mussorgsky composed the piano cycle Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s wystawki) within a short period of time, between 2nd and 22nd June 1874. At the instigation of the art critic Vladimir Stassov a commemorative exhibition was put on of drawings, watercolours, designs etc. by the composer's friend Viktor Hartmann (1834-1873), who had died unexpectedly. Mussorgsky decided to pay his own tribute to Hartmann in the form of a succession of piano pieces portraying some of the artist's work in music. The original title given to the cycle was Hartmann. It was probably in 1870 and through Stassov that Mussorgsky had first made the acquaintance of Hartmann, who had studied at the art college in St. Petcrsburg and was actually an architect. For the piano cycle Mussorgsky selected mainly drawings and watercolours which Hartmann had produced during his travels abroad - in Italy, France and elsewhere. The present edition is based on a printed facsimile of the autograph manuscript (cf. Criticals Notes). Instrumentation: piano

Geboren in Karewo (Gouvernement Pskow). Schon früh war er ein hervorragender Klaviervirtuose und besuchte die Petri-Pauls-Schule in St. Petersburg; 1856-59: diente er als Offizier in einem Petersburger Garderegiment; 1865: Bekanntschaft mit Borodin, Balakirew, Cui und Rimskij-Korsakow. Balakirew leitete seine kompositorischen Studien, die sich ganz der russischen Tonkunst widmeten; 1863-79: durch wirtschaftliche Schwierigkeiten bedingt, bestritt Mussorgskij seinen Lebensunterhalt als Beamter im Verkehrs- und Landwirtschaftsministerium; er stirbt in St. Petersburg. Sein Schaffen umfaßt Opern (z.B. Boris Godunow, 1874), Orchesterstücke, Chormusik, Lieder und Klaviermusik.