Eyes of History Piano music by Mussorgsky and Prokofiev - heard by ROBERT ANDERSON '... good value ...'

It remains one of Krushchev's more quixotic moves to have presented Ukraine with the Crimea in 1954, as commemoration of the three hundred years since Little Russia had appealed to join the motherland. Of course he could not foresee the collapse of the Soviet Union, nor the rusting away of the Russian battle fleet in her main naval port of Sebastopol. By contrast, Mussorgsky thoroughly enjoyed three months' leave there, during which he gave recitals and wrote On the Southern Shore of the Crimea (Gurzuf), evocative of a Tatar village, with central dance framed by atmospheric subtleties.The painter of the watercolours on show was Viktor Gartman, friend of Mussorgsky who had died recently and was perhaps better known as an architect...

MODEST MUSORGSKY

SERGEI PROKOFIEV

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

PIANO MUSIC