Julian YU

ABOUT MY VERSION OF PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Julian Yu

Brief introduction to the piece
[略]

Why another arrangement?
[略]

Some features of the new arrangement
[略]

1. Use of solo instruments to represent characters
[略]

2. Echo effect
[略]

3. Hocket and Pointillism
[略]

Descriptive Sounds
[略]

4. Newly added elements
[略]

Some other points
There are several discrepancies between Ravel's orchestral version and some other publications, which Vladimir Ashkenazy suggests (on the CD jacket of his version, DECCA 414 386-2) may perhaps be due to errors in the manuscript from which Ravel was working. [略] My version is based on the Peters Edition.

[略]

Very important is the treatment of the bell chimes in the last piece, The Heroic Gate of Kiev. From bar 81 to bar 110 of his original piano version, Mussorgsky ingeniously uses the piano to imitate the three different bell chimes of the Eastern Orthodox Church. [略] I think any orchestral version should reflect this feature of the piece loyally, but in Ravel's orchestration the bell pattern is converted into a slow tremolo in the strings (see bars 85-116 of Ravel's score). Although my arrangement is for a small force, the distinctive rings of the three different carillons is clearly heard. After this, Mussorgsky cleverly merges the third (high-pitched) bell chime with the recurrence of the Promenade theme.

Another challenge for me was how to produce a strong impression of grandeur in the last piece, The Heroic Gate of Kiev, using only fifteen players. [略] It is as if one sees the Gate from a great distance and then, as one gradually approaches it, the orchestra gains more and more strength, reaching full volume in the last statement of the tune.

Some listeners may be curious about the bells right at the end of the piece, which are not heard in Mussorgsky's original. There is a story behind this. At the time of the premiere, the orchestra was playing György Ligeti's Violin Concerto in the same concert and we had two extra percussionists who wanted something to do. So on the spur of the moment I improvised several peals of bells during and after the very last chord of the piece, echoing the chimes heard earlier. This is why the instrumentation specifies ‘one to three percussionists’.

Melbourne, December 2005

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
for sixteen players or chamber orchestra

a moderately modern rendition by immodest Julian YU

INSTRUMENTATION

Flute (doubling Piccolo, Alto flute)
Oboe (doubling English Horn)
Clarinet in B♭ (doubling Bass Clarinet, Clarinet in A)
Bassoon (doubling Contrabassoon)

Horn in F
Trumpet in C
Trombone

Percussion (1-3 players - See Note 3 bellow) :
    Vibraphone, Marimba, Glockenspiel, Xylophone,
    Timpani, Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Tubular Bells,
    4 Woodblocks, Tam-tam

Harp

Piano (doubling Celesta)

1st Violin
2nd Violin
Viola
Cello
Double Bass


Notes:
1. This score is noted in C. The Piccolo, Glokenspiel, Xylophone and Celesta sound an octave higher than written.
    The Double Bass and Contrabassoon sound an octave lower than written.
2. This orchestration was intended dor solo string players, but it is also possible to use multiple players for each section.
3. The last movement for this piace can be performed in three ways, using one, two or three percussionists:
    3 percussionists: play as written.
    2 percussionists: omit the glockenspiel part in the last movement at bar 180.
    1 percussionists: plays the percussion II part (timpani) from bar 172 (page 180); the whole orchestra
    finishes the piece on the first beat of bar 184, omitting the last 4 3/4 bars of piano and harp.
If more than one percussionist is used, they can share the percussion part in the other movements.

Duration: approximately 32 minutes
Material: on hire from Zen-On Music

CD is available from WARNER CLASSICS label (WPCS-11745),
conducted by Hiroyuki IWAKI and performed by Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Promenade

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
orchestration by immodest Julian YU (1957)

[楽譜]

©2006 by Zen-On Music Co., Ltd.

This score is a facsimile of the composer's manuscript.