Entitled ‘Pictures Reimagined’, a project that involves specially commissioned paintings, sculptures, photographs and sketches inspired by Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, is raising money for The Passage, a London homeless charity.
Musorgsky’s famous tribute to his artist friend Viktor Hartmann, composed in 1874, is inspiring a group of musicians, artist and authors, including pianist Stephen Hough (Limoges I) and baritones Sir Thomas Allen (The Great Gate of Kiev) and Simon Keenlyside (The Gnome). The artworks will be available to buy via an online auction that begins today (10 Oct) and will close on Monday 6 November. To view the paintings click here.
The ‘Pictures Reimagined’ auction project also coincides with ‘Night Under The Stars’, the charity’s annual fundraising concert at the Royal Festival Hall. This year’s concert, entitled ‘Russian Soul’ is presented by comedian Griff Rhys Jones and takes place on Tuesday 7 November, with works by Borodin, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. It includes exerpts from Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Pianist Boris Giltburg, baritone Duncan Rock and bass Robert Lloyd will be performing. Toby Purser conducts.
‘Musorgsky took Hartmann’s original artworks and came up with something new and unexpected – we wanted to do the same,’ says project organiser Antonio Orlando. ‘The responses range from the literal to the abstract; from humorous to thought-provoking – most notably those touching on issues such as inequality, personal loss and mental health. The next step is to find homes for these unique reimaginings, raising money for a charity that supports the most vulnerable in society.’
Since it launched in 2001, ‘Night Under The Stars’ has raised over £1.5m for The Passage, with an impressive line-up of past musicians, including conductor Edward Gardner, pianist Simon Trpčeski and violinist Esther Yoo.
The 15 original artworks donated to the charity will be on display after the concert, with the auction reconvening after the concert. For further details of the concert click here.
