Modest Mussorgsky’s Piano Suite Pictures at an Exhibition was inspired by a series of artworks by his friend Viktor Hartmann. The 10th movement of this suite was based on a design for Bogatyr Gates intended to be placed at the entrance to Kiev Kyiv:
The gates were never built, so at least they can’t be destroyed. Here is the piece played live at a concert in Carnegie Hall by Vladimir Horowitz, who was born in Kyiv.
This was doing the rounds on Facebook earlier this summer and I meant to post it on here, but forgot. Anyway, better late than never. This is the great Vladimir Horowitz playing the Impromptu No. 3 in G flat major D899 by Franz Schubert. It’s a stunning performance to watch as well as listen to, despite – or maybe because of – the fact that he was an old man at the time and this was to be his last concert in Vienna. I love the way he takes his time to settle at the start, and then all of a sudden, his hands apparently almost still, he starts to caress the keyboard with his fingers and this beautiful music comes to life, almost as if it’s coming directly from another world. Take a few minutes off, and let some beauty into your heart..
In the Dark 