Nicola Cittadin - Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Organ Version) (2010)

Nicola Cittadin and Philip Tarr's Pictures at an Exhibition is a new take on the old Mussorgsky warhorse. There have been organ versions of Pictures before, but this one has added percussion, which gives each movement more dimension and character even beyond -- or at least different from -- that found in Ravel's full orchestral version of the work. In the couple of decades preceding this 2010 recording, adding percussion to a keyboard work is something that happens with more frequency. The results are usually refreshing when done, as Cittadin and Tarr have done, with thoughtfulness as to the specific coloring and character of the music and choices of percussion instruments. The opening Promenade starts with cymbal taps, which in fact don't add much dimension to the movement, but the other Promenades are more varied and distinct from each other. The Promenade on track 10 in particular features drumming similar to what would normally accompany a regal fanfare. The most unexpected -- and another less successful -- use of the percussion comes in the Great Gate of Kiev. Instead of using orchestral bells to replace the keyboard's approximation of peeling church bells, Tarr utilizes cymbal taps to emphasize beats. On the whole, however, there are more moments of interesting coloring and affect than there are odd, ineffective ones. Often the percussion sets the stage before the organ starts a movement proper. Timpani are frequently used to create a darker or, as in "Gnomus," more menacing mood. In "Il vecchio castello," the drums create continuous rhythmic stepping stones or blocks under the organ and fill in those pregnant pauses toward the end of the movement. Playful percussion punctuates "Tuileries"; jazzy, syncopated rhythms are inserted into the otherwise steady beats of "Bydlo" (The Oxcart); rock music-like drumming adds drama to the encounter of "Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle"; and cymbals are used in a toneless, modernistic way to open the "Limoges" movement. Cittadin and Tarr have created another arrangement that is worth hearing by fans of the Mussorgsky masterpiece.

The disc closes with two other arrangements. First is an extremely melancholy, almost depressing version of Mussorgsky's simple and touching piano piece Sleza (A Tear) for horn, organ, and percussion. Finally, there is another version of "Il vecchio castello," featuring Philip Tarr's father, Edward H. Tarr, on trumpet. It has an extended coda that doesn't quite sit right for those used to the original piano or orchestral version.