Mussorgsky's famous composition for piano has long since become the starting point for a wide variety of composers and arrangers, each of whom clothe their arrangements in a unique garment of sound. Norbert Graf, Ayman Harper and Ivan Liška's choreographic explorations of 20th century visual artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Joseph Beuys, Pablo Picasso, Meret Oppenheim, René Magritte, Jackson Pollock, Jeff Koons, Piet, Georges Seurat, Mondrian and Yves Klein emerged as a kaleidoscope of transformations.

Since its premiere in 2014 in Munich's National Theatre, «Pictures at an Exhibition» has become a calling card for the Junior Company. With the combination of the most diverse instrumentations, including synthesizers, organ and timpani, marimba, big band and progressive rock arrangements act as a bridge to our postmodern world and open up Mussorgsky's composition towards new atmospheric spaces. Fusing movement, music and design, audiences find themselves in a living puzzle - one that brings to life the essence of some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, with humor and playfulness. And as with any good work of art, it is both artist and viewer who discover the truth embedded within the beauty of the work.

ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHERS
Ivan Liška was the successful artistic director of the Bavarian State Ballet for a long time and is also known as a choreographer for his historical reconstructions of, among others, «The Sleeping Beauty» and «Le Corsaire». His miniatures are regularly performed by the Junior Company. Norbert Graf, former soloist and current ballet master of the Bavarian State Ballet, has created numerous works as a choreographer for the matinees of the Heinz Bosl Foundation. Ayman Harper has worked as a freelance dancer, choreographer, ballet master and installation artist for many years. In 2001 he began collaborating with William Forsythe, both as a dancer and ballet master, and now stages Forsythe's work with companies around the world.

First premiered on 13th April 2014 as part of a matinée by the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung at the Nationaltheater Munich