Dear Friends,
Today, let's talk about the second movement of Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle. Hartmann's artwork that inspired this movement did not survive. It is thought to be a watercolor of an Italian medieval castle with a "troubadour singing a song." I will spare you my own rendition of this artwork. (You're welcome)
Ok, let's get back to Ravel's orchestration to The Old Castle.
The bassoon at the beginning of this movement sets the tone: lonely and melancholy. The alto saxophone joins in with a beautiful and sorrowful melody, representing a troubadour singing a song.
The Old Castle
Let's take a moment to talk about saxophones. Besides Pops/Jazz concerts, you rarely see them in orchestral works. There are only a handful of symphonic works that have saxophones. Most notable works besides this piece include Ravel Bolero, Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances, Prokofiev Lt. Kije Suite, and Gershwin American in Paris. It's always a delight to have a saxophone in an orchestra, because it adds an instantly unique timbre to the traditional instrumentation.
Next post, we will talk about the third movement, Tuileries.
Until then, stay healthy!
Best,
Kayoko
