Mark Abel shares this photo of a pin given to him by Ali Olshan’s mother, who is Ukrainian. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Mark and Carol Rosenberger have been thinking of the “Great Gate of Kyiv” movement from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and were reminded of pianist John Browning’s remarkable Delos recording, which owes much to the legendary Ukrainian pianist Vladimir Horowitz. Listen to the movement on SoundCloud, and read below about how Horowitz influenced Browning’s interpretation:

My introduction to “Pictures at an Exhibition” occurred when, as a young boy, I heard Vladimir Horowitz play it in recital. So profound was the impression his performance made on me that almost twenty years later, when I found sufficient courage to learn the work, Mr. Horowitz’ unpublished re-working of the original remained indelibly engraved in my mind. I shall not dispute those who prefer Mussorgsky’s unaltered text. But try as I may, after much thought and work, I am unable to play the original without reservations. Thus my own version of “Pictures” has evolved. Both the authentic Lamm edition and the Ravel orchestration have been carefully studied. My amendment of the score consists of occasional doublings, changes of register, and coloristic embellishment. In “The Great Gate of Kiev” I have added a contrapuntal augmentation of the Promenade motif. Wherever my revision and that of Mr. Horowitz may coincide, I plead guilty to having been unsuccessful in discovering a finer way than his, and freely admit my unabashed admiration of his incomparable artistry.

—John Browning