Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain [Hybrid SACD] [SACD]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Mussorgsky’s 1874 suite Pictures at an Exhibition has proved perhaps the most popular of all the composer’s works, both in its original version for piano and in the colorful orchestral version of Ravel presented here. This recording also presents two versions of the orchestral favorite Night on the Bare Mountain, an orchestral witches’ sabbath.

Album Description

Music can be both calming and relaxing, or invigorating and passionate...this phenomenal 20-CD set is definitely the latter. This amazing collection brings together for the first time the most passionate music of all time, from Ravel's Bolero, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Wagner's Magic Fire Music to Ravel's La Valse, Orff 's Carmina Burana and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. This is a must have collection for every passionate music lover.

Customer Reviews:

A good gift for novice.......2007-05-12

This was a good gift for somebody learning about Classical music in Japan.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition No 1-10; Night on the Bare Mountain; Khovanshchina - Prelude / Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture

Average customer rating:

My favorite system demo CD
This recording is definately worth having.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition No 1-10; Night on the Bare Mountain; Khovanshchina - Prelude / Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000041RI
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Khovanshchina - Prelude
Night on the Bare Mountain
Russian Easter Festival Overture
Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade - Gnomus
Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade - Il vecchio castello
Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade - Tuileries
Pictures at an Exhibition: Bydlo - Promenade
Pictures at an Exhibition: Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques
Pictures at an Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle
Pictures at an Exhibition: Limoges: le marche
Pictures at an Exhibition: Catacombae - Cum mortuis in lingua mortua
Pictures at an Exhibition: La Cabane sur des pattes de poule
Pictures at an Exhibition: La grande porte de Kiev

Customer Reviews:

My favorite system demo CD.......2007-06-05

Regarding the music, engineering, performance and musicality as written by the other reviewer, I can only agree.

My two cents: Have been an audiophile since the '60s, had several hundred LPs (vinyl), have several hundred CDs now, and THIS ONE is my favorite demo.

I have an absolutely unforgiving system, crystalline clarity (they are electrostats)... the soundstage is THERE, absolute breadth and depth, but, even more importantly, the "air" around the instruments, you are hearing the performance in time AND space, this really leaps the ditch between experiencing great sound REPRODUCTION and a sense of actually being in the hall (with great seats about 12 rows back in the orchestra section).

The transients are breathtaking, the bite on the english horn, the crystal clarity of the triangle...

A SUPERB feat of composition (Mussorgsky), orchestration (Ravel), performance (Dutoit and the MSO) and engineering (London/Decca). Every one has outdone themselves, and it's all on this superb CD,

This recording is definately worth having........2001-07-12

This particular performance of the orchestral version of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition..." is the finest performance of this work I have heard. It seems Dutoit and the MSO have collaborated again with the best Engineers on the planet for this recording. In typical Dutoit fashion, he cleverly combines precision, attitude and emotion, resulting in what I think is a genuine representation of this work.

Dutoit seems to understand and communicate Mussorgsky's perspective on the human experience, which so many other performances seem to miss all too often. This will become obvious to you when you hear "The Great Gate of Kiev" at a rediculous level on your stereo, and are involuntarily moved to tears. It's both accessible and meaningful music, and should be spinning up in your CD player right now!

FYI - "Pictures at an Exhibition..." is a series of musical interpretations, inspired by a memorial exhibition of drawings by Mussorgsky's close friend, Victor Hartmann.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain [Hybrid SACD]
Average customer rating:

Occasional superficiality; deep, spacious sound

Fell in love all over again

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Mussorgsky | Mussorgsky, Modest | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0001XP1OQ
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Album Description

Mussorgsky's 1874 suite Pictures at an Exhibition has proved perhaps the most popular of all the composer's works, both in its original version for piano and in the colorful orchestral version of Ravel presented here. This recording also presents two versions of the orchestral favorite Night on the Bare Mountain, an orchestral witches' sabbath.

Customer Reviews:

Occasional superficiality; deep, spacious sound.......2005-08-06

Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881) was, in his youth, something of a dandy, but after accepting a government post he began drinking, and his early death was the result of an alcohol-induced fit of epilepsy. When not suffering from the effects of dissipation, he had a reputation as an excellent pianist, but as a composer he was a self-taught amateur who "imbibed" the nationalistic influence of Balakirev and developed a highly personalised style. His chief completed works appear to have been the opera "Boris Godunov" and the piano solo version of "Pictures of an Exhibition", a tribute to the recently deceased painter Viktor Hartmann. At his untimely death he left two unfinished operas, "Sorochintsy Fair" and "Khovanshchina", a number of smaller piano works and several versions (both for piano and for orchestra) of the "Night on Bare Mountain". It was his associate Rimsky-Korsakov who prepared much of this material for publication, and this explains how there come to be two versions of "Night on Bare Mountain" on this recording: the well-known version is Rimsky's smoothed-out re-working, while the version here labelled "original" is, in fact, one of Mussorgsky's somewhat crude attempts to orchestrate the work he had originally conceived for piano solo. The "Pictures at an Exhibition" are well worth hearing in their original form for piano solo, but have become most popular in the orchestrated version by Maurice Ravel (there are other orchestrations, but none has ever gained the popularity of Ravel's congenial edition).

Comparing this new Naxos recording by the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine with the earlier Naxos version from Slovakia, directed by Indian conductor Daniel Nazareth, it is highly obvious that there have been great technical advances over the last fifteen years or so. The new Ukrainian version is recorded with much more depth and clarity, and the brass is allowed more natural volume. The Ukrainian tempi seem to be a little faster than those of their Slovakian colleagues, which can, on occasion, lead to the impression of superficiality.

I listened to this CD (not the SACD version) on three different systems and was impressed, once again, with the fact that Naxos recordings appear to react very sensitively to the equipment used to play them. By far the best impression was given when sitting at the "sweet spot", the apex of an isoseles triangle formed by the two stereo loudspeakers and the listener. (I had my speakers placed approximately 275 centimetres apart.) Here there was a real depth and spaciousness to the recording that made listening a great pleasure. The percussion sounded incredibly real, the instruments were clearly positioned, and every detail could be heard even at low volume.

On a normal headphone system (using a special headphone amplifier and good-quality headphones), I felt that the advantages of depth and spaciousness that could be heard via loudspeakers had receded and that the merging sound tended to emphasize the element of superficiality mentioned above. But a combination of a good CD player, a headphone amp and an old but excellent electrostatic headphone system was able to restore the clarity and depth I had noted in front of speakers.

In conclusion, I would say that this is a fine recording which occasionally suffers from the Ukrainians' tendency to gloss over some of the magnificent depths of this music. Heard on a fine stereo loudspeaker system, it can still give much pleasure.

Fell in love all over again.......2004-06-20

Mussorgsky:
Pictures at an Exhibition, (orch. Ravel)
Night on Bald Mountain, original and Rimsky's
Golitsin's Exile from Khovanchina
Hopak from Sorochinsky Fair

Wow. I didn't think I could get excited while listening to Pics at an Ex
ever again, but the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine turns in a
vivid performance. From the deliciously unhomogenized oboe, to the earthy
but warm strings, to the overly-earnest percussion section...it was a
delight all the way through. (Don't tell anyone, but usually I move ahead
to the Hut and Gate.

One of the many striking moments was how splashy Ravel's writing for bells,
gong and cymbals sounds in the last quiet run before the final statement of
the Great Gate theme; it was an unusually colorful, intense and exciting
build up. The heaving string
writing in Bydlo comes off particulary sad and burdensome, as the cart
lumbers along. Lighter moments for winds are vividly characterized.

Had enough of Night on Bald Mountain? You get two versions here: Rimsky's
correction, and Mussy's original. I like both, though my favorite
alternative
being the one with chorus, as it sounds the most errie of all.
(Abbado/Sony,
I believe.) Kuchar and the Ukraine make them sound freshly-minted.

If you think you had no romance left for this music, it got me goin' again.

Once again the SACD recording, (I opted for the 2-channel layer),
intoxicates the ear in a way that PCM never did for me, though I never would
have known when PCM was all there was. "Relaxed" is the best way I could
decribe the
sound, for what it's worth.

Tracks:

A Night On Bare Mountain
Entr'Acte To Act IV Of Khovanshchina
Symphonic Synthesis Of Boris Godunov
Promenade
Gnomus
Promenade
Il Vecchio Castello
Bydlo
Promenade
Ballet De Poussins Dans Leurs Coques
Samuel Goldberg And Schmuyle
Catacombs - Sepulchrum Romanum; Con Mortuis In Lingua Mortua
La Cabane Sur Des Pattes De Poule
La Grande Porte De Kiev
Solitude, Op.73, No.6
Humoresque, Op.10, No.2
Traditional Slavic Christmas Music

Customer Reviews:

FOR A HIGH CHOLESTEROL ORCHESTRAL DIET.......2006-11-17

Comparing the arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition by Ravel and Stokowski is a fascinating exercise. They both seem so characteristic of the two arrangers. The cool French aesthete (though with his own hidden daemons just like Mussorgsky) paints with precision but with impressionist or even post-impressionist hues. Here is Monet, Cezanne or, in the bolder pieces, even van Gogh. The Londoner who liked to assume the persona of some sort of Slavic shaman/maestro is given to bolder, brasher colours - Kandinsky perhaps? Both are masters of the orchestra. Both remain true to the essentially Russian spirit of Mussorgsky - perhaps even more so in the case of Stokowski. Which perhaps explains why he developed the bizarre suspicion that the two 'French' pieces in the Suite - Tuileries and the Limoges Marketplace - were by Rimsky Korsakov and therefore left them out altogether. Maybe it was because Ravel had, naturally, succeeded in making them sound so French in his earlier version. For the rest, Stokowski is more than up for the grotesqueries of the Gnome, the deep Russian darkness of the catacombs, the wildness of Baba Yaga and the splendours of the Great Gate. But it is Ravel who gets closer to the heart of the old castle and Bydlo.

As for the performance, Serebrier was the Sorcerer's Apprentice, having been Stoky's assistant for some years, and he elicits truly Stokowskian sounds from the Bournemouth Symphony whose strings almost (but not quite) approach the velvety richness of the Master's Philadelphians.

The rest of their programme is equally rich fare. The orchestration of Night on the Bare Mountain, made famous in Disney's Fantasia, seems to me far superior to Rimsky Korsakov's and (un-PC though it is to say it) even to Mussorgksy's own. Serebrier rightly brings out the OTT string glissandi and biting brass. The Symphonic Synthesis of Boris is a cousin to the similar syntheses Stokowski made from Tristan and Parsifal and, like them, provides a rewarding distillation of the opera's music in purely orchestral garb. Here, Stoky seems to stay closer to Mussorgsky's original sound than Rimsky or Shostakovich. The disc ends with a trio of Beechamesque lollipops, all predictably gorgeous, especially Stokowski's own Traditional Slavic Christmas Music where his youthful experience as an organist seems to come through in the tiered orchestration.

Maybe this disc will not tax the listener's intellect overmuch, but it will provide him with enormous dollops of orchestral pleasure. And at a budget price.

Not much Stokowski there........2005-12-28

Compare to Stokowski's own interpretation, I just wonder how Serebrier change these intense transcriptions into dull, flat, and boring experience. His speed is so mechanical, and wash a lot of drama out of the work. If you don't want to be Stokowski, fine, but remember this is Mussorgsky, not Bach-Stokowski.

Although no one can be like Stokowski himself, Bamert still trying hard to sound like Stokowski in these transcriptions. Serebrier, on the other hand, trying to offer his own view. Pitifully, he falls far behind Stokowski.

One good thing about this recording is its wonderful sound. Rozhdestvensky did show us how harsh sound can ruin Stokowski's Pictures at an Exhibition. The good sound quality here makes the Pictures at an Exhibition still a valuable viewpoint. Ironically , it is the superb recording reveal how flat the interpretaions of Boris Godunov, A Night on Bare Mountain, and Entr'acte to ActIV of Khovanshchina are.

If you don't have Stokowski's own interpretion on your collection, I would like to stop you from buying this recording because of lack of the Stoki's excitement here. If you looking for a Stoki-like modern recording of Mussorgsky-Stokowski, I would recommend Bamert on Chandos over this. However, if you already have Stoki's own interpretion, Serebrier can still offer a different viewpoint of these transcriptions.

Some additional information..
A similiar viewpoint of Stokowski's Mussorgsky can also be found in Oliver Knussen's interpretation. The DG issue with a better orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and probabily better sound effect, too. The sound there is more tense.

A Naxos Triumph!.......2005-10-25

For half the price of at least two competing labels that I know of, you can have this recording of Stokowski's most beloved transciptions. I bought this release mainly for the "Symphonic Synthesis" which Stokowski created to bring more popularity to the massive complete opera. You get 24 minutes of shimmering sound, competing with anything in the symphonic genre. In fact everything sounds great on this disc. Meastro Serebrier,(a protege and life long friend of Stokowski) the Bournemouth Symphony, and the engineers are all in top form and dedicated. It is interesting to compare the differences of the Stokowski arrangements. He comes off more horrific than Rimsky-Korsakov on "Night on Bare Mountain", just have a listen to those exagerated screeches of brass. In "Pictures" Stokowski in his own words stated he wanted to take Ravels French out of the work and give it a more Russian feel. Balance, tempo, and detail in specific passages of each picture may or may not achieve this. I do think his version is more spacious overall, and less congested in the concluding "Great Gate of Kiev". Stokowski eliminates two annoying pictures stating he didn't think the composer wrote them in the score anyway! Recall that Rimsky-Korsakov's original piano version included them. Were they genuine? Three miniature bonus works are included. Most interesting is the Stokowski composition "Tradional Slavic Christmas Music" based on Slavic themes, is brief leaving one wanting for more.

Leopold, Leopold, Leopold.......2005-10-20

One of my favorite episodes of BUGS BUNNY (perhaps my only favorite, I was never a big LOONEY TOONS fan) has Bugs getting in trouble while singing the song "April Showers" in the presence of an opera star. The man finds the rabbit annoying, and Bugs being Bugs decides to get the best of him. On an evening when the buffoon is singing, Bugs dons a wig that resembles the hair style of a great conductor, a caricature of Leopold Stokowski. As soon as Bugs enters the area everyone is all a buzz because Leopold has arrived. Bugs grabs the baton and begins conducting. I was probably twelve or thirteen at the time, and I felt rather sophisticated because I knew who Leopold was other than one of the husbands of Gloria Vanderbilt.

Stokowski was one of the most famous conductors of his day, and he was a well known musical arranger as well. His day was a time when symphony orchestras had regular arrangers who transcribed famous keyboard pieces for orchestra. They somewhat fell out of fashion in the 1970's but today there seems to be a renewed interest in some of transcriptions, recognizing the contributions of the musical arrangers. This release by Naxos has some of Stokowski's arrangements of some of Mussorgsky's music as well as a few pieces by Tchaikovsky and an arrangement of Slavic Christmas music.

Overall, this is an interesting disc. The arrangement of "Night on Bald Mountain" is not as fulsome as the more familiar Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration, but the differences in the two do illustrate the interesting tidbits on the score. The same can be said for his orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition." The Ravel orchestration, today's performance standard, has more power, and perhaps because of its familiarity more of an appeal, but some of Stokowski's arrangements have a smoother sound which seems to be in keeping with an art gallery exhibit. His orchestral arrangement of music from BORIS GODUNOV plays like a symphonic poem and does capture the mood of the work.

Listeners will find this recording both interesting, enjoyable, and since the "Bald Mountain" arrangement is the same as the arrangement used in FANTASIA, perhaps a bit nostalgic. It will also give people a new appreciation of Mussorgsky as a composer. Maybe Naxos can release another Stokowski transcription disc with his arrangements of Bach's music.

Extraordinary recording by the Bournemouth Symphony and José Serebrier.......2005-08-28

This is one of the most extraordinary recordings of the decade, as announced by Felipe Marsans in his review in Diario Las Americas. The sound of this demonstration recording is spectacular! The performances are extraordinary, inspired,
magnificent from the opening track (Night on Bold Mountain) to the unexpected final track: an "original" work by Leopold Stokowski, based on a known ancient Christmas tune. The little Tchaikovsky item is something to make the listener cry, as is the Entre'Acte from Mussorgsky's opera Khovantchina. The Boris
is a masterpiece, and the performance is incredible in every sense. The Stokowski orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition, quite different from Ravel's and more Russian and tru to the original, will blow you off the room. I can't wait for the multy-channel versions to be released, on SACD and DVD Audio.
Extraordinary!
Stephen Bradbury
Oxford, UK

Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Night on Bare Mountain, Intro to Khovanschina - Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade, Capriccio Espagnole - Mariss Jansons

Average customer rating:

A hard-to-peg Jansons does Mussorgsky

Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Night on Bare Mountain, Intro to Khovanschina - Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade, Capriccio Espagnole - Mariss Jansons

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Promenade (Moderato Non Tanto, Pesante) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
III. Tuileries (Allegretto Non Troppo, Capriccioso) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
IV. Bydlo (Sempre Moderato, Pesente) - - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Promenade (Tranquillo) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
V. Ballet Of The Unhatched Chicks (Scherzino: Vivo Leggero) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
VI. Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle (Andante) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
VII. Limoges - The Market (Allegretto Vivo, Sempre Scherzando) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
VIII. Catacombae: Sepulhrum Ramanum/Catacombs (Largo) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Cum Mortuis In Lingua Mortua (Andante Non Troppo, Con Lamento) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
IX. The Hut On Fowl's Legs (Allegro Con Brio, Feroce - Andante Mosso - Allegro) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
X. The Great Gate Of Kiev (Allegro Alla Breve. Maestoso. Con Grandezza) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Night On The Bare Mountain - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Prelude - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

I. The Sea And Sinbad's Ship - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II. The Story Of THe Kalender Prince - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III. The Young Prince And The Young Princess - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV. The Festival Of Baghdad - The Sea - The Ship Goes To Pieces On A Rock Surmounted By A Bronze Warrior - London Philharmonic Orchestra
I. Alborada - - London Philharmonic Orchestra
II. Variazioni - - London Philharmonic Orchestra
III. Alborada - - London Philharmonic Orchestra
IV. Scena E Canto Gitano - - London Philharmonic Orchestra
V. Fandango Asturiano - - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

A hard-to-peg Jansons does Mussorgsky.......2007-02-06

Now that he's risen to the eminence of conducting the Royal Concertgebouw, I sitll haven't figured out the charmed life of Mariss Jansons. He comes form a golden pedigree (his fahter, also a conductor, was assistant to Yevgeny Mravinsky, I believe), and British critics early on raved about the son's fabulous work with the Oslo Philharmonic, a provicial orchestra that Jansons raised to world status.

Not on the evidence of these recordings. CD 1 of this Gemini two-fer cotains a distinctly un-world class Pictures at an Exhibition. Nor is Jansons' conducting anythhing but routine. Many student conductors given a bunch of good musicians could do better. The fillers are a Dawn on the Moskva River form Khovanshchina that's bland but gently evocative, plus a Night on Bald Mountain in the familiar Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement that's effective but not exactly up to Stokowski's hair-riasing standard.

After Oslo, and sitll boosted by British critics, Jansons became a full-blown major recording artist. He began to shine with trecordings of the three Rachmaninoff symphonies done with a Russian orchestra, but his set of Rachmaninoff piano concertos with the forgettable Mikhail Rudy were a no-go, as was much of Jansons' unimaginative Shostakovich symphony cycle. Was it his very bladness that appealed to the English? On CD 2 he leads the London Phil. in Schereazade, surely red meat to any Slavic conductor. Kiril Kondrashin has a famous recording on Philips, although even he is outdone by Stokowski in his three (at least) versions. And Jansons? He takes the tack of respectability, toning down the brash, lurdi parts and trying to make us forget of Disney. If you want Scherezade's riot of color thus subdued, here you go. The disc ends with Capriccio espagnole, done with panache but not a great deal of excitement.

Jansons added more chapters to his career, including a disatrous heart attack while he was music director in Pittsburgh that threatened to end enverything. But he rose from the ashes to his present eminence. For the life of me I don't know why--certainly nothing here justifies a loud hurrah.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Songs and Dances of Death; A Night on the Bare Mountain

Average customer rating:

Mussorgsky, the Magnificent
Brilliant Budget Buy

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Songs and Dances of Death; A Night on the Bare Mountain

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Köln Concert

ASIN: B0002KVVA6
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

Promenade
Gnomus
Promenade
The Old Castle
Promenade
The Tuileries Gardens
Bydlo
Promenade
Ballet Of The Chicks In Their Shells
Samuel Goldenberg And Schmuyle
The Market-Place At Limoges
The Catacombs (Sepulchrum Romanum)
Cum Mortuis In Lingua Mortua
The Hut On Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yaga)
The Great Gate Of Kiev
Kalybel'naja (Lullaby)
Serenade
Trepak
Palkavodets (The Field Marshal)
A Night On The Bare Mountain

Customer Reviews:

Mussorgsky, the Magnificent.......2007-01-12

Mussorgsky is one of the world's most outstanding composers although many people would not recognize his name unless they are interested in music. Any music teacher should have this CD in his/her collection. It is an excellent one for teaching tonality in the classroom. Musorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" is good for teaching timbre, the unique sounds of various instruments. Young people can be drawn into classical music through the use of this CD.

Brilliant Budget Buy.......2006-01-09

Don't you just love it when classic recordings get reissued on CD at a budget price?! Such is the case with this Modest Mussorgsky title in the "Universal Classics" series, featuring recordings originally made for Deutsche Grammophon. These are arguably the composer's three greatest works -- the Ravel orchestration of "Pictures at an Exhibition," "Songs and Dances with Death," and the perennial scary favorite, "A Night on Bald Mountain" -- so for the casual fan this is his best music at a great price. But this CD has rewards for the more experienced listener as well. Conductor Carlo Maria Giulini, one of my personal favorites, puts in a distinguished performance on the "Pictures." He has the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing brilliantly, and the 1977 analog stereo sound is exceptional -- it is one of my favorite accounts and I own more than a dozen. Conductor Georg Solti leads the same orchestra (from the same year), along with bass soloist Sergei Alexashin, in Shostakovich's orchestration of the "Death" songs. They are also very good, but those familiar with my reviews know I don't care too terribly much for vocal works. Barenboim, who I enjoy very much as a pianist but less so with baton in hand, again leads the Windy City SO in a digital account of "Bald Mountain" from 1998. There is nothing disappointing with this rendition, but nothing remarkable either. But what do you expect -- how can anyone ever hope to top the Reiner/Chicago version? In all, with classical budget lines beginning to inexplicably disappear (like Sony's "Essential Classics" series -- what's up with that?!), I'm delighted that UNI has made these quality recordings available again at such an inexpensive price.

Average customer rating:

A Mussorgsky feast beyond praise
A STRONG REBUTTLE to the "bad" reviews.
Review for Richter's "Pictures" Only
A bad whooping cough in 1958 in Sofia, Bulgaria
Giant performance!

Panorama: Modest Mussorgsky

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Old Castle
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Tuileries
Pictures At An Exhibition: Bydlo
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet Of The Unhatched Chicks
Pictures At An Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Market At Limoges
Pictures At An Exhibition: Catacombs: The Roman Tomb
Pictures At An Exhibition: With The Dead In A Dead Language
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Hut On Chicken's Legs
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Great Gate Of Kiev
Night On Bald Mountain
Songs And Dances Of Death: 1. Lullaby
Songs And Dances Of Death: 2. Serenade
Songs And Dances Of Death: 3. Trepak
Songs And Dances Of Death: 4. The Field Marshal
Khovanshchina - Highlights: Prelude: Dawn Over The River Moscow
Khovanshchina - Highlights: Dances Of The Persian Slave Girls

Tracks:

Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Il vecchio castello - Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Tuileries
Pictures At An Exhibition: Bydlo
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet des petits poussins dans leurs coques
Pictures At An Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle
Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade
Pictures At An Exhibition: Limoges: Le Marche
Pictures At An Exhibition: Catacombae: Sepulchrum Romanum - Cum mortuis in lingua mortua
Pictures At An Exhibition: La Cabane sur des pattes de poule
Pictures At An Exhibition: La Grande Porte de Kiev
6 Songs: Lullaby
6 Songs: The Magpie
6 Songs: Night
6 Songs: Where Art Thou, Little Star?
6 Songs: The Ragamuffin
6 Songs: On The Dnieper
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Shuisky: 'Long Live Our Tsar Boris Feodorovich!' (Prologue)
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'My Soul Is Sad! (Prologue)
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'I Stand Supreme In Power'
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'Farewell, My Son, I Am Dying'
Boris Godunov - Highlights: Boris Godunov: 'Hark! 'Tis The Knell Of Death!'

Customer Reviews:

A Mussorgsky feast beyond praise.......2006-06-11

It was incredibly generous of DG to throw toegther these great performances--one of them legenday--in a bargain two-fer. The legendary performance, of course, is Richter's 1958 Pictures at an Exhibition performed in concert. The rights are owned by Philips, but I don't know if their latest remastering has been used here. The complaints about dreadful sonics are justified: the piano is far away and tinny, the Sofia audience coughs continuously--some of them are lucky to have left with their lungs intact--and there is a noisy exhaust fan in the foreground. It's a testimony to Richter's incandescent reading that it survives beyond all obstacles.

Another high point is the orchestral reading of Pictures under Giulini with the CSO. This was a famous recording in its day, because Giulini took the thrice-familiar music seriously, a bit slower than usual, adding many individual touches. Maybe his approach becomes ponderous and too serious at times, but it's one of a kind, and the solo winds in the orchestra are a delight.

Actually, I was most moved by Vishnievskaya's selection of songs, recorded in the Soviet Union with Igor Markevitch adding his superlative accompaniments--this is Mussorgsky singing of the highest order. But so is Fassbaender's Songs and Dances of Death, despite her lack of Slavic authenticity. Maazel bombs through Night on Bald Mountain with suitable thrills.

In all, this Panorama two-fer can't be faulted. It's one of the very best in the seeries, and several of the choicest things on it are otherwise out of print.

A STRONG REBUTTLE to the "bad" reviews........2006-05-19

155 minutes of music and one reviewer gives these CDs 1 star for couging here and there during 7 minutes of Richter's Pictures recital. Not continually mind you. I DON'T GET IT!
A reviewer doesn't like vocal music..so 2 stars. I DON'T GET IT! Just because one does not like "classical" vocals, doesn't mean they stink.
This is over 2 1/2 hours at single CD budget price. Geez...
Giulini gives a superbly recorded THRILLING performance of Pictures that, in my humble opinion, is second only to Reiner's. Also with the CSO 15 years earlier.
This 34+ minutes alone is worth the price of this collection.
The excerpts from Boris Gudonov are considered one of the best performances in the catalog (Karajan/VPO). 29 minutes and a good way to determine if you want to purchase the complete opera 3 CD set for over $30+ bucks.
Markevich/Vishnevskaya is considered to be the definitive version for the "6 songs".
The Kovanshchina prelude (Dawn on The Moskva River) is one the most heart rending themes in the canon. Simply gorgeous 6 minute piece of music.
I could go on and on.
Sure there are a few "gaffs" on these CDs. Maazel brings in Bald Mountain in under 10 minutes. Whew!
But hey...kudos to the orchestra for being able to play that well, that fast without stumbling over each other. Quite exhilerating acually.
And Then there is Richter's famous/"infamous" Pictures. Yes the annoying cough and a not so sonic recording. But anyone looking for just this track should already have been aware of this problem. "Classisists" have been talking about this problem for 50+ years. Obviously it can't be fixed. But still several coughs in 30+ minutes just makes it sound as live a performance as it is.
So let's recap...155 minutes of music with maybe parts of 15 minutes of minor problems for DISCOUNT bucks. Pretty good math I'd say. Equals 5 STARS where I come from.
Overall, this is an excellent CD for those who want Mussorgsky's major orchestral output in one package at a bargain price.
Top conductors, top orchestras, great performances and, except for Richter's Pictures, GREAT SONICS.
If you want a truly magnificent solo piano Pictures try Pletnev's on Virgin Classics. It will blow you away. And you get the bonus of his own piano transcription of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty which is even better.
ENJOY!

Review for Richter's "Pictures" Only.......2006-04-24

I was thrilled to find that Deutsche Grammophon has reissued Sviatoslav Richter's famous Sophia performance of "Pictures." I have owned it on tape, but have until now not had it on CD. I was surprised by previous reviews of this edition, since I thought that the explosive coughing had been toned down substantially. My tape broke years ago, so maybe my memory is off. But the re-engineering of this performace has been one of the most needed "retrofits" in the entire classical catalogue. The sound quality of this edition is certainly much better than the old Polydor record.

I also will refrain from entering the "Is it the greatest Pictures ever?"-debate. It is my favorite. One sometimes hears critics dismiss the piano--thus Mussorgsky's--version as monochromatic. But Richter presents a much more percussive version than most others, which may be why some people don't care for it. (My dad played this piece with a more Romantic reading.) It's a matter of taste: I have never cared for the Ravel version, probably because the percussive aspect doesn't translate into orchestration.

I almost never write music reviews, since I'd hate to convince people to plunk down good money on a CD that conforms to my taste but not theirs. BUT, if you have enjoyed this performace in the past . . .

I give five stars to Richter recital, which amazes me still. I agree that his deliberate "clunkers" are distracting. But having listened to this performance for almost twenty years, it is the "correct" playing of Pictures that now jars me. If you love this performance, as I clearly do, you'll be happy to have this CD. Just don't Google the Hartmann pictures which inspired Mussorgsky. It's disillusioning, but they aren't very good!

A bad whooping cough in 1958 in Sofia, Bulgaria.......2006-04-17

I was listening to the magnificient percussion and
overall sound of this double release, from 2000, #469 169-2,
when throughout the 1st CD, which opens up with the Mussorgsky
number PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, there's an irritating
musician in the room, exhibiting signs of a bad whooping cough,
thereby totally destroying the 20 minutes or so recording!

There are many soft passages throughout the number, and
it is just incredible that DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON allowed the
bad caugh distractions and irritations (cough! cough! cough!)
to stay on the tape!

Unbelievable! It's so bad, I thought about unloading this
art work, at a second hand music store for a buck and a half,
although I surely paid more than $20 for this double CD release
a few years ago.

I don't care much for the vocal pieces, either.

Aside from that, the remainder of the release is very strong,
so ...I can't bring myself to unload it....yet, anyway.

Giant performance!.......2005-06-03

Carlo Maria Giulini has been to my mind one of the most aristocratic, intelligent, wisdom and remarkable conductors in the last Century. Born in 1914, Giulini owns that special touch of genius that has been proved in several ocassions.
There are several works in the Symphonic repertoire whose meaning depends in last instance of your personal world's approach. The list wold be extremely long but briefly I would name five classic works: The Eroica, The First of Mahler, The Ninth of Bruckner, The fourth of Nielsen and this work.
What do you demand from this work? Fireworks, nostalgic approach, musical musculature,effectism or tonal poolish?
Besides a great amount of recorded versions, there is however, a relatively small number of succesful performances from the early forties with Arturo Toscanini, Guido Cantelli and Igor Markevitch in the fifties, Dorati in the sixties and then Markevitch again and Giulini in the seventies.
Giulini gives this work a remarkable stature, enriching the score with sumptuous details and rubatos, smart accents, inflexions, color sense and above all a noblesse spirit that personally I haven't listened in any other previous version.
Go for this golden treasure recording. But do not expect great fireworks exercises. Giulini never searched the gallery' s applause. He was a honest and original master by himself: his personal landmark.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain

Average customer rating:

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000SI6
Release Date: 1993-01-12

Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

not as good as it should be
Good SACD surround - but too much from the rears?
Another good Gergiev Release

Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on the Bare Mountain [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000089CG9
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

not as good as it should be.......2004-12-24

while the SACD sound is very good and 'Pictures' sounds very lively, the other recordings on this disc sound bad. even with the SACD sound, it is as though the orchestra is playing in a room down the hall from the recording devices. now, just because the sound is good on 'Pictures' doesn't mean it is a good recording. the Reiner recording with the CSO is so much better than this, it makes me wonder why anyone would produce a recording if it could not compete with the Reiner/CSO recording. i never get the feeling while listening to this new recording that the orchestra is really into the music. it almost sounds rush an unrehearsed. perhaps i am just biased, but i would rather listen to the older Reiner recording than this newer one.

Good SACD surround - but too much from the rears?.......2004-04-17

I have enjoyed this hybrid SACD very much - but I feel it has one slight flaw which prevents it from being top notch.

The stereo SACD layer is as usual a slight improvement over the normal stereo CD layer - but the surround layer really opens out the sound giving much more presence and detail.

But I was always aware of the rear speaker channels, e.g. in Bydlo from the Pictures - whereas in the finest SACDs I have heard, like Uchida's Schubert Sonata D568 and Harnoncourt's Bruckner 9, the rears were brilliantly (but subtlely) used to give a real concert-hall feel - here you feel there are VPO musicians playing behind you a bit, which isn't really realistic in my opinion.

Perhaps it's significant that despite the DSD logo on the cover, this is a PCM 24 bit recording, while the very best SACDs use pure DSD.

But don't let me put you off, this is a very vivid and enjoyable SACD.

Another good Gergiev Release.......2003-10-10

This is the Hybrid SACD version of Valery Gergiev's recording of

Mussorgski's "Pictures at an Exhibition". Recorded with the

Vienna Philharmonic, instead of the Kirov Orchestra. The

performance is good, a little bit better than most, but then it

is hard to make too many mistakes with the Ravel orchestration.

All that is required is a good conductor and a good orchestra.

Gergiev and the VPO deliver good solid performances, and Phillips

delivers good sound as usual. I am only basing this on hearing

the CD portion of the disc, as I do not yet own a SACD player.

The other works are also performed well "Night on Bald Mountain"

gets a rousing performance as expected, but all the performances

sound good if a little too polished. I think I wanted a little

Tracks:

Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): Promenade I - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): I. Gnomus - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): Promenade II - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): II. The Old Castle - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): Promenade III - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): III. Tuileries - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): IV. Bydlo - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): Promenade IV - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): V. Ballet Of The Chickens In Their Shells - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): VI. Samuel Goldenberg And Schmuyle - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): Promenade V - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): VII. Limoges - The Market Place - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): VIII. Catacombs - Sepulchrum Romanum - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): Cum Mortuis In Lingua Mortua - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): IX. The Hut On Fowl's Legs (Baba Yaga) - Tamas Ungar
Pictures At An Exhibition (Piano Con Version): X. The Great Gate Of Kiev - Tamas Ungar
Khovantchina: Act I, Intro: I. Dawn On The Moscow River - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Khovantchina: Act IV, Entr'acte: II. Galitsin's Journey - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Sorochinsky Fair: Gopak - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Pictures From The Crimea: I. Hourssouff - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Pictures From The Crimea: II. Reverie (Douma) - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Pictures From The Crimea: III. Capriccio - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Scherzo in B flat - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
A Tear-Drop - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon
Night On Bald Mountain - Philharmonia Orch/Geoffrey Simon

Customer Reviews:

this is a great arrangement.......2005-12-14

Pictures at an Exhibition was originally written for piano, and later transcribed for orchestra, which is the most heard form of the work. Making a piano concerto out of it combines the lush orchestral strings, stinging brass, piercing percussion and the hugely impressive piano sound that is perfect when enters. More people should hear this work arranged this way.

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