Pictures at an Exhibition.

Goldfinch60



The Hartman works on canvas, hardly known to art

But known to music, with sounds so profound and wonderful.

You go on the journey through the sounds

That come to your ears

 

The Promenade through the Academy of St Petersburg

Showing Viktor’s works assembled

As a tribute to the young artist,

Taken from us before his time.

 

Stopping at The Gnome, running clumsily,

His legs at odds with his body;

He stops when he hears the Troubadour

Playing before The Old Castle

 

The Promenade continues on to

The Gardens of the Tuileries

Where children play

To sounds so sublime that are formed in your mind

 

The sound of the Cattle in the distance

Come to you from the sounds from the orchestra

Then BANG! The sounds and the Cattle stop nearby

Only to move on to the sound dying away

 

The Promenade moves to the Ballet

And there performing on stage

Are Unhatched Chicks to Petipa’s steps

And Gerber’s music

 

The Canaries hatch, while watching from their frame

Are Goldenburg and Schmuyle.

But now written in music, as well as cast in paint.

The sound meanders  along the floor

 

Until it reaches The Market at Limoges,

Where women are violently quarrelling.

So scuttling away through the Catacombs

Lit by the light of the lamp in hand.

 

Suddenly the witch is seen in her Hut on Fowl’s Legs,

Baba Yaga! A horrendous sight with her teeth of metal,

long nose and spindly, skinny legs.

The music dies away from this awful place

 

The Promenade is ending and at the door

The Gates of Kiev, in all their splendour

Give a sound so uplifting, as once more

Mussorgsky moves back to his piano;

To compose “Pictures at an Exhibition”.

  • Author: Goldfinch60 (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: September 2nd, 2020 01:03
  • Comment from author about the poem: Now for something completely different.
  • Category: Reflection
  • Views: 18
Get a free collection of Classic Poetry and subscribe to My Poetic Side ↓

Receive the ebook in seconds 50 poems from 50 different authors Weekly news

Comments7

  • ANGELA & BRIAN

    Good Morning Uncle Andy - ANGELA HERE - I got up early today to secure Pole Position ! Thanks for an awesome rendering of *Pictures at an Exhibition* - I did listen to all of it HONEST. Also for your tremendous *Tone Poem* which visualises all the Pictures & People heard & seen in the MUSIC - A Masterpiece indeed!

    Blessings & Peace to You & Yours
    Love Angela - Brian & Smokey ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’™๐ŸคŽ

    • Goldfinch60

      Thank you Angela, it is a great story to read and the music in all its forms is so wonderful, obviously the original piano version is best, I was listening to it the other evening played by Andrew Preview.

      Andy

      • ANGELA & BRIAN

        Thanks UNCLE ANDY - The piano version - which I attempt to play - is also a fave of mine. I loved the Modern Rock version too!

        Love ANGELA

      • orchidee

        Good write Gold.

      • Michael Edwards

        One of my all time favourite pieces of music - original piano that is - not the Ravel orchestration which, good as it is, doesn't reach the same levels as the original. Great write as always.

        • Goldfinch60

          Thank you Michael, I too prefer the piano version but for ELP to do it was something outstanding back in the 70s.

          Andy

        • Fay Slimm.

          What an amazingly awesome experience. Thanks for sharing it Andy

          • Goldfinch60

            Thank you Fay, much appreciated.

            Andy

          • dusk arising

            My ears were assaulted by that live performance of ELP. I didn't like it LOL. But each to their own, it's art after all - personal taste, there's no 'best' or 'good and bad' in art, it's all expression.

            You certainly gave us a tour around the exhibition.

            I found this on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1pk1MzX61Q and found it gripping. Such drama. I shall have to listen to the ELP studio version one day for it and they eluded me back in the day.

            • Goldfinch60

              You are so right about music, there are only two types of music, that which you like and that which you don't like. It doesn't matter though as we both appreciate a great many types of music and we are bound to have differences but I think we have more similarities in our liked than the differences.

              That performance was outstanding, Yulianna Avdeeva certainly pulls one into the music with her performance, I shall have to investigate her work.

              Andy

            • L. B. Mek

              wonderfully imaginative and detailed, impressive in its ambitious scope

            • Goldfinch60



            To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.