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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Pictures at an Exhibition: A Performer’s Guide Comparing Recorded Performances by Pianists Vladimir Horowitz and Evgeny Kissin : “Eccentric” vs. “Academic” Playing A document submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS (D.M.A.) In Piano Performance of the College-Conservatory of Music 2007 By David T. Sutanto B.M., The Boston Conservatory, 1995 M.M., Manhattan School of Music, 1997 Committee Chair: Prof. Frank Weinstock Abstract Vladimir Horowitz and Evgeny Kissin would certainly be included among the very few of the greatest pianists ever recorded. This document provides a detailed description of their interpretations of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition based on their recordings. The document begins with brief biographical information about Mussorgsky and Victor Hartmann, which is then followed by a historical background of Pictures. Brief biographies of Horowitz and Kissin are included as well. The concluding chapter discusses whether or not it is important for pianists to follow Mussorgsky’s original intentions regarding the suite. Is it necessary for pianists to make some changes or improvisations to the suite—eccentric playing? Will Pictures still sound good and interesting if pianists faithfully follow the score—academic playing? Pianists Frank Weinstock and Jason Kwak offer their opinions in answering these questions. i Acknowledgments It is hard to believe that I am actually able to complete this document. Upon receiving the approval letter of my document proposal, I remember screaming, “Praise the Lord and thank You for answering my prayer.” There were few memorable events in my life and that moment was certainly included in them. A few people contributed to the completion of this project. The first one is my incredible, beloved wife, Shao-Shan Chen. Without her constant and loving encouragement, I would not have had the courage to even begin writing the proposal for this document. Indeed, Shao-Shan is a great woman in my life. Thank you, darling! My deepest appreciation goes to my piano professor and main advisor, Frank Weinstock. If there is such thing as a guardian angel, then Mr. Weinstock is truly my guardian angel. Words of “thank you” are simply not enough to describe my gratitude to him, who spent enormous hours and energy in helping me completing this document. To my other advisors, Professors James Tocco and Michael Chertock, thank you so very much for taking time from your busy schedules to review this document. Last but not least, I need to thank my wonderful friend, Joel Rugerio. Joel patiently spent countless hours in reading and pointing out errors in my writing. Joel, you deserve my utmost gratitude and I certainly owe you a big one! Finally, I would like to dedicate this document to my wonderful children, Antony and Cynthia. Thank you, kids, for allowing daddy to “peacefully” get through this project. iii Table of Contents Abstract i Acknowledgments iii I PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION 3 A. Mussorgsky and Hartmann 3 A1. Brief Biography of Modest Mussorgsky 3 A2. Brief Biography of Victor Hartmann 6 B. Hartmann’s Relationship with Mussorgsky and the Birth of Pictures 9 II VLADIMIR HOROWITZ AND EVGENY KISSIN 12 A. Brief Biography of Vladimir Horowitz 12 B. Brief Biography of Evgeny Kissin 17 III PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF PICTURES BY HOROWITZ AND KISSIN 20 Promenade 22 1. Gnomus 24 [intermezzo] 26 2. Il Vecchio Castello (The Old Castle) 26 1 [intermezzo] 28 3. Tuileries (Children Quarrelling After Play) 29 4. Bydlo 30 [intermezzo] 32 5. Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells 33 6. “Samuel” Goldenberg and “Schmuÿle” 35 Promenade 38 7. Limoges, The Market Place 38 8. Catacombae (Sepulcrum Romanum) 41 Con Mortuis in Lingua Mortua 43 9. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba-Yaga) 45 10. The Great Gate of Kiev 48 IV CONCLUSION 53 Bibliography 56 Discography 59 2 CHAPTER 1 Pictures at an Exhibition A. Mussorgsky and Hartmann A1. Brief Biography of Modest Mussorgsky When considering Russian composers from the nineteenth century, one cannot escape the name, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky. Mussorgsky was born on March 9, 1839 in the city of Karevo, Russia. At age six, Mussorgsky began his musical training with piano lessons from his mother. His music talent was so apparent that at the age of seven he was able to perform some small piano pieces by Liszt. Two years later he played a piano concerto by John Field at an evening party in his house. There are three things to which the young Mussorgsky was always attracted: Russian folktales, Russian character, and Russian people. He caught the essence of these things and turned them into some improvisations on the piano. This predilection continued throughout his life.1 In 1849, Modest and his brother, Filaret, were sent to Peterschule, an elite secondary school for aristocratic families in St. Petersburg. There he studied piano with Anton Herke, one of the best pianists and teachers in St. Petersburg. Subsequently, Mussorgsky was enrolled in the Cadet School of the Guards from 1852 to 1856 to be trained for a career as a military officer. Upon graduation, Mussorgsky joined the military 1 K. Marie Stolba, The Development of Western Music: A History (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1990), 733-4. 3 service as a Russian Imperial guard in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In the winter of 1856-57, Mussorgsky was introduced to the composer Dargomïzhky, and soon after that he attended many evening concerts in Dargomïzhky’s home where he met César Cui, Mili Balakirev, and music critic Vladimir Stasov. Mussorgsky’s musical career entered into the second period at this time when he began composition lessons with Balakirev in December of 1857. He learned theory and analysis for the first time and was introduced to past and contemporary western compositions. Balakirev made sure that Mussorgsky fully understood the rules and fundamentals of music theory and compositional technique from Western composers. In addition to these Western influences, Balakirev also encouraged Mussorgsky to incorporate ideas from Russian history, Russian tales, everyday life incidents, and Oriental flavors into his compositions. Important piano works during this period are the Scherzo in B-flat major, Impromptu passionné, Ein Kinderscherz, Sonata for four hands in C major, From Memories of Childhood, and La capricieuse. As his musical career started to grow, he began to face personal crises. He suffered his first nervous breakdown in 1859. Starting in 1861, his family and he began to gradually lose their wealth and property due to the emancipation of the serfs and the Great Reform in Russia. Mussorgsky had to work as a low-level civil service officer. Furthermore, the death of his mother in 1865 exacerbated an existing addiction to alcohol. A significant association during this second period was the strong friendship that Mussorgsky had with Balakirev’s other disciples: Alexander Borodin, César Cui, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Stasov called the five of them “The Mighty Handful,” a term 4 that was never used at that time by anyone else but Stasov himself.2 These five composers tried to incorporate ideas of realism and non-militaristic nationalism into their music. For instance, they used the music of Russian people, including religious and folk, as the basic ideas for their compositions. They abandoned strict rules of German music theory and counterpoint in order to achieve more musical freedom. The style and spirit of important foreign composers such as Schumann, Liszt, Berlioz, and Chopin were also rejected.3 Mussorgsky, being the most talented and nationalistic of Balakirev’s disciples,4 wrote to Balakirev, “I feel a certain regeneration; everything Russian seems suddenly near to me.”5 Mussorgsky’s mature period lasted from 1866 to 1876. His musical style during this period is characterized by a broad knowledge of Russian music and music from Germany, France, and Italy as well. His famous and monumental works like the orchestral piece St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain, the opera Boris Godunov, the three song cycles (The Nursery, Sunless, and Songs and Dances of Death), and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition were composed during this span of time. Toward the end of this period, his chronic nervous breakdowns and severe alcoholism became worse. After his two beloved friends—Victor Hartmann and Nadezhda Opochinina—passed away, his music began to depict frustration, hopelessness, and death.6 His adherence to the Balakirev circle also gradually lessened. 2 Ibid., 729. 3 Ibid., 731. 4 Ibid., 733. 5 Micahel Russ, Musorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 7. 6 M.D. Calvocoressi, Modest Mussorgsky: His Life and Works (London: Rockliff Publishing Corporation, 1956), 183-4. 5 Mussorgsky’s final years were very unstable. He was isolated by many of his friends, fired from government jobs, and tried to survive by writing new music, but often found himself unable to finish pieces. To supplement his income, he frequently accompanied the singer Darya Leonova. In spite of the problems he endured during this time, he produced some wonderful compositions such as the vocal work Mephistopheles’ Song in Auerbachs’s Cellar, two short piano pieces depicting the Crimea, and the orchestral work The Capture of Kars. He died on March 16, 1881 at the Nikolayevsky Military Hospital. A2. Brief Biography of Victor Hartmann Victor Alexandrovitch Hartmann was born on April 23, 1834 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since both his parents had died before he was four, Hartmann was raised by his aunt, Luisa Ivanovna Gemilian.