Modest Mussorsky : Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition

Pictures at an Exhibition was enspired by an exhibition of paintings which Mussorgsky attended following the death of his artist friend. The music consists of a number of pieces depicting the various individual pictures, and this opening Promenade represents someone walking through the exhibition. The theme is repeated and altered at various points to show how the viewer's thoughts and feelings are influenced by the works on display. The music may also be familiar as the theme tune for the TV Series "The New Stateman" with Rik Mayall playing the part of Tory MP Alan B'stard. Although originally written by Mussorgsky for piano, the music is often heard in an orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel. The video below lets you see the sheet music being played in Sibelius, and below that you can play the mp3 file and see the sheet music before downloading.