Your First Pick? - Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition

Thomas J · Post by **Thomas J** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:53 pm

The first time I purchased this work, it was a much later recording from the early 90's with Yoel Levi and the Atlanta Symphony on Telarc. Great sound and performance. However, it wasn't till I came across the Fritz Reiner and Chicago Symphony performance from 1957(?), did I believe I had found the definitive performance. Many folks had recommended this recording to me in the past and I finally succumbed. This recording was released on the RCA Living Stereo Series #61958. So what do you say? What's your first pick on this one?

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:09 pm

Thomas, I wonder whether you have heard the solo piano versionof this work.

It's a big piece in the piano repertoire. Of course, there are lots of versions of this, as well as of the orchestral versions. No one can hope to hear them all - (and have time for a life beyond that!) But I'd like to know what your reaction is.

Thomas J · Post by **Thomas J** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:13 pm

Werner, I haven't yet heard the solo piano version you mention. I'm certainly open to suggestions.

C.B. · Post by **C.B.** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:27 pm

Try to experience it on the recent SACD re-release, if you can. It hasn't sounded better.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:22 pm

Whew!--Thanks, Werner, for quickly alerting ALL OF US to the piano version.......as a keyboardist, I have a certain partiality to it, mainly because it's so unfairly downgraded, or rather, treated as a "disappointment" to those weaned strictly on Ravel's orchestration.

In my abbreviated years as a classical pianist, it was one of my personal Everests--my coach told me it would be a "massive undertaking," and Lord was he on the money. Didn't study it past the "Samuel Goldenberg" movement (I worked on it in strict sequence).....but I got some real nice comments at a class-piano session. I was practically on the verge of being unglued playing it at that recital, trying to remember all the exact details of each repetition of "The Old Castle"; but it put an extra edge to my performance!

ANYWAY--on records, I've never seen fit to nudge aside Brendel or Richter......although Awadigan Pratt did some great things with it. I also have an old Philippe Entremont LP, not too good a performance, but a good example of his raw, still-young talent.

ORCHESTRA?--Well, as for Ravel's version, Toscanini's is THE perfect one (he even went those few extra miles & corrected the notes in the obviously-corrupt edition Ravel based his score on--particularly, the C-D flat-B flat-B flat figure that ends "Samuel Goldenberg"). Also, Toscanini corrects a VERY obvious misjudgement in Ravel's arrangement of "Great Gate At Kiev," having the final triumphant repetition of the main theme re-scored: melody in the brass, and the TRIPLET accompaniments (Ravel inexplicably having the brass revert to THOSE at the last note of each phrase of their melody) RE-SCORED for STRINGS.

Also, Ormandy ALWAYS DID WELL by this work: with NONE of his commercial recordings of it can you go wrong (not always the case with his multiple recordings of the same work). Vandernoot/PCO is great also.

I should add, regarding the work itself: it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to think of a more audacious work written in ANY other epoch......think a minute: can you REALLY quite imagine "Pictures At An Exhibition" being written in 1881?

GK · Post by GK » Tue Jul 12, 2005 9:25 pm

Maazel/Cleveland

Post by **Corlyss_D** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:27 pm

Werner wrote:Thomas, I wonder whether you have heard the solo piano versionof this work.

It's a big piece in the piano repertoire. Of course, there are lots of versions of this, as well as of the orchestral versions. No one can hope to hear them all - (and have time for a life beyond that!) But I'd like to know what your reaction is.

Contrarian that I am, I prefer the piano version to the orchestral. Of the latter, I'd really like to hear the one that was discussed months ago here, the orchestration not by Ravel or Stokowski.

jserraglio · Post by **jserraglio** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:59 am

I like the Mussorgsky-Stokowski version conducted by Stokowski.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:41 am

Piano: Richter

Ravel Orchestration: Ormandy/Sony (only available as a French or Japanese import unfortunately....it's one of Ormandy's best recordings)

JackC · Post by **JackC** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:04 am

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.a ... =258746990

If you love this piece, buy this hybrid SACD. (It also plays on regular CD players.) Not only do you get an unsurpassed Pictures, you get several other unsurpassed performances of other popular works.

All for less than $10!!

As to the sound, it is now approaching 50 years old. It's still as good, and natural sounding as I've heard. There is a reason why this, and several other Reiner/CSO recordings, are a very famous recordings among "audiophiles". If you have a SACD player, you will love it.

I also like the Maazel/Cleveland, which also has stunning sound.

Holden Fourth · Post by **Holden Fourth** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:30 pm

Orchestral:
Ravel orchestration - Reiner of course.
Leibowitz orechestration - Leibowitz/RPO

Piano
Richter, Sofia 1958 or
Kapell from the Frick recital

markhedm · Post by **markhedm** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:03 pm

I have a cassette of Pictures with both the piano version and orchestral version. The piano version is played by Ashkenazy.
Horowitz reworked the piano version, and recorded it. Great recording.

Mark H.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:02 pm

I've just pulled out my old copy of Saraste's performance, w/Toronto Sym. It's a performing version, put together by the conductor, of the orchestrations of Sergei Gortschakov & Leo Funtek.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... =classical

Quite a revelation (I've also got Saraste doing it live w/FRSO).......the experience can easily be likened to so many pianists doing different versions of the original; the amount of new light that can be shed on this work simply boggles the mind. "Pictures" is the sort of work that easily accomodates this.

Auntie Lynn · Post by **Auntie Lynn** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 8:49 pm

I have that vintage Horowitz recording on - get this - 78 RPM. When I was learning this, my teacher (who was a friend of Horowitz) pencilled in all his markings. When Slatkin was here with the National they played the orchestral version with each movement by a different arranger... innaresting!

muxamed · Post by **muxamed** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:37 am

Hi

I prefer Ravel's orchestration of this work. Of those recordings that I've heard so far I like Karajan's (from the 60's) and Reiner's (from the 50's I believe) most.
As for the Mussorgsky's original score I'd go with Horowitz.

Cheers
Muhamed

Post by **Lance** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:43 am

Well, this is a tough one because there are so many superb recordings of this, both orchestrally and pianistically.

FIRST PICKs for me:

Orchestra: Igor Markevitch: DGG 477.5479; Fritz Reiner: RCA 5407 (or later-issued/numbered releases). Another version on Berlin [2139] by Markevitch is worthy of consideration. Then too, I'd take Stokowski on Decca/London 443.898.

Piano: Vladimir Horowitz: RCA 60449 or 60526; Moiseiwitsch: Dante 024 [two versions]; any of the Richter performances, but Philips 420.774 or 464.734 are sonically the most impressive. Lazar Berman's account on Masters of Art [94062] is pianistically incredible, as is Byron Janis's on Mercury [434.346].

In reality for both the piano- and orchestral versions, there are far too many first-rate performances to select just one, like so many "First Pick" offerings.

An American Decca LP [DL 710042] recording by Benno Moiseiwitsch presents him in his last recordings, but he never lost his flair for this music. I am hopeful all of Moiseitwitsch's last American recordings will be issued one day by either Philips/Universal (who now owns the masters) or by Testament.

rwetmore · Post by **rwetmore** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 5:38 pm

Holden Fourth wrote:Orchestral:
Ravel orchestration - Reiner of course.
Leibowitz orechestration - Leibowitz/RPO

Leibowitz uses the ravel orchestration. The RPO is no match for the virtuosity of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but many would be wowed by his intepretation none the less. Really raw with awesome power...the opening of the grand gate of kiev chills the spine!

It's shame Leibowitz never conducted/recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...the results seem like they could only have been spectacular.

Wallingford · Post by **Wallingford** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 3:01 pm

I'd LOVE to hear Lucien Cailliet's orchestration--he did it when Koussevitzky still had exclusive performance rights to the Ravel one.

Cailliet was bass-clarinetist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, & the Phillies' first recording of the work was this version (under Ormandy, I believe.....Stoky had already split & was leading HIS own arrangement).

Cailliet also did perhaps the best-ever transcription of Clair De Lune.

Holden Fourth · Post by **Holden Fourth** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 2:20 pm

rwetmore wrote:
Holden Fourth wrote:Orchestral:
Ravel orchestration - Reiner of course.
Leibowitz orechestration - Leibowitz/RPO
Leibowitz uses the ravel orchestration. The RPO is no match for the virtuosity of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but many would be wowed by his intepretation none the less. Really raw with awesome power...the opening of the grand gate of kiev chills the spine!

It's shame Leibowitz never conducted/recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...the results seem like they could only have been spectacular.

Sorry, got confused with Night On Bare Mountain but the comment about RL's Pictures still stands - an outstanding rendition

rwetmore · Post by **rwetmore** » Mon Aug 01, 2005 3:34 pm

Holden Fourth wrote:
rwetmore wrote:
Holden Fourth wrote:Orchestral:
Ravel orchestration - Reiner of course.
Leibowitz orechestration - Leibowitz/RPO
Leibowitz uses the ravel orchestration. The RPO is no match for the virtuosity of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but many would be wowed by his intepretation none the less. Really raw with awesome power...the opening of the grand gate of kiev chills the spine!

It's shame Leibowitz never conducted/recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra...the results seem like they could only have been spectacular.
Sorry, got confused with Night On Bare Mountain but the comment about RL's Pictures still stands - an outstanding rendition

For sure...couldn't agree more. The Bald Mountain orchestration/performance alone is worth the price of the disc.

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Your First Pick? - Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition

Your First Pick? - Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition

YES to the Reiner!

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