MODEST MOUSSORGSKY, Tableaux d'une Exposition, transcription pour orgue de Jean Guillou (1988). Schott 9807. Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition is one of those quintessential transcription pieces, owing largely to its inherently neutral instrumental character––though originally for piano, it is neither pianistic nor non-pianistic. In the hands of a wizard like Jean Guillou, one might expect an even more dazzling reworking than is actually presented here. His approach to organ transcription is entirely pragmatic, except perhaps for the size of the intended instrument, where, for example, in the first number, "Gnomus," such stops as the 16' Ranquette and Mutations graves are prescribed. In "The Medieval Castle," the simplicity of the texture is retained, but regular registration changes are introduced every few bars. In the following number, "Tuileries," this principle is carried-out much farther, with registration or manual changes indicated, literally, in each and every bar. In "Bydlo," the pesante bass is perfectly represented by double-pedal in 8, 16, and 32'––the climax, incidentally, which Mussorgsky marks con tutta forza, comes just a bit too soon. In "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks," Guillou achieves an excellent coloristic effect in the second section by giving Mussorksky's right-hand trills to both hands, as double-tremolos in opposite motion on Flutes 8, 1', with the left-hand part in 4' double pedal. The 4' double pedal (this time, with mutations) serves again, in "Limoges," to give literal accentuation to Mussorgsky's essential sforzando indications. In the finale, "The Great Gate of Kiev," it is "necessary to enrich the counterpoint," Guillou says, "in order to avoid the potential banality of rigidly held chords on the organ." His solution is to borrow Mussorgsky's own scale figures from mm. 47–63 for use at the very beginning, with brilliant rescorings for almost everything else.