Pictures at an Exhibition

Written as a tribute to his close friend, the architect Victor Hartmann, Modest Moussorgsky’s suite for piano describes ten of the drawings which most impressed him from the four hundred displayed in a memorial exhibition. Notable band arranger and composer Erik Leidzen (1894-1962) was a major contributor to the early band repertoire, and for over 23 years (1933-1956) he served as the principal arranger for the Goldman Band of New York City. His output was astounding and included a wide variety of arrangements, transcriptions and original compositions for band. This transcription of Pictures at an Exhibition was ordered by Edwin Franko Goldman in 1935, and resulted in ten movements that closely model Ravel’s arrangement for orchestra. (Source: Band Music Notes, Norman Smith and Albert Stoutamire and JRO)