Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Mikhail Glinka (Composer), Modest Mussorgsky (Composer), Evgeny Kissin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Evgeny Kissin
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky
• Audio CD (February 5, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00005UED7
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,600 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #84 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Organ

Track Listings

1. J.S. Bach: Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C: Prelude

2. J.S. Bach: Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C: Intermezzo: Adagio

3. J.S. Bach: Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C: Fugue

4. Glinka: The Lark

5. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade

6. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Gnomus

7. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade

8. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Il vecchio castello

9. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade

10. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Tuileries

11. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Bydlo

12. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade

13. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks

14. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle

15. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Promenade

16. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Limoges marche

17. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Catacombae (Sepulcrum romanum)

18. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: Con mortuis in lingua mortua

19. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: The Hut On Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yaga)

20. Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition: The Great Gate of Kiev

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius!!, February 22, 2002

By 

Vidar Palsson (Gardabaer Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition (Audio CD)

I have spent the latest week listening to Kissin's newest CD. And here are my thoughts:

Bach/Busoni:
Kissin's clear tone suits the work perfectly. His tone is sharp and the pedalling is held to moderation. The toccata is virtuosic at times and Kissin rses to sound as a whole organ. The adagio is slow and beautifuly colored by Kissin. Each phrase has weight and you sink in your chair listening to it. But the best is yet to come, the fugue. I wish Kissin would play more poliphonic music like fugues because he is a master at dragging forward inner voices. His fingers seem to have individual life and the lines eash gain their own existance. Listen to the beginning of the fugue, such clarity, focus and calm. The breath of tone in this work displayed by Kissin shows clearly his capability to make the piano sound like any other instrument he likes, organ, orchestra or what ever.

Glinka/Balakirev:
Small work I haven't heard elsewhere. Melancolic, slow and beautiful. An ok break between the two major works on the disc.

Mussorgsky:
Listening to Kissin led me into yet one Pictures-mania. So, there has been a lot of comparisons this week. I must say it straight out: genius! This is what I call a high class performance. In his last CD (Chopin: 2nd sonata, preludes) his tone got a bit to hard at times, and I was curious is he would try the power-path of Horowitz or the poeticism of Richter. I am glad he choose the latter, although I love Horowitz's version(s). Take for exaple the Bydlo. Yes, Horowitz is funny and exiting when he unleashes a thunderous left in the high climax. But such a force makes the bydlo more of a crasy bull than a slow, fat and lumpish ox, making heavy steps. Kissin hold back the banging and portraies the bydlo as slow but powerful force. The fast sections, like the market or the ballet of the chickens, sparkle with life. The grand gate of Kiev is magnificent, truly grand and noble.

Conclusion: A CD to treasure as it contains a stunnig Bach/Busoni and one of the very best pictures ever, arguably the best pictures for a long long time. Kissin is the successor to Richter and Horowitz in Mussorgsky, no doubt in my mind.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Pictures, February 28, 2002

By 

Tse Yan Lung (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition (Audio CD)

Mussorgsky's Pictures is the focus of this disc. Kissin's approach to this formidable piece was superb. His "Gate of Kiev" is really magnificent. The ballet of chickens and "the market" are sparkling with life. I have compared Kissin's performance with that of Richter's 1958 live performance. Both are superb performances in terms of technicality and musicianship. But in terms of sound quality, Kissin's Pictures surpasses Richter's. The two bonus pieces- Glinka's "The Lark" and Bach were also beautifully played.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Setting a new standard, February 7, 2002

By 

Alex Serrano (Perrysburg, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition (Audio CD)

This long anticipated cd of Kissin playing Bach/Busoni, Musorgsky, Glinka/Balakiriev should more than fill anybody's expectations and confirm his standing as one of the greatest pianists alive. From the organ sonorities of the Bach "Toccata" to the hushed singing of Glinka's "Lark", and through every characterization of Mussorgsk's "Pictures", Kissin is in full command of his powers. Every articulation, nuance, crescendo, is perfectly balanced and even more, in this cd he is absolutely giving first attention to the music rather than himself. He chooses to play the final entries of the Mussorgsky with controlled strength when most pianists choose to rip through this trying to emulate Richter's legendary performances. In the adagio of the Bach/Busoni work, he acheives a sense of spaciousness and yet every note is clear and he never blurs the lines. The following fuge is brilliantly articulated with attention never faltering. A great performance only matched by Horowitz indeed. Glinka's "The Lark" as transformed by Balakiriev is virtuosity of another kind - all the figurations serving a singing line which in this performance is held. In all, Kissin gives some of the best performances these works have ever received and these may become the standard until a new generation of pianists comes along.