Customer Reviews

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54

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this is simply the gold standard for orhcestral brass performances. i checked this particular disc out from my school library, simply because it was the only copy of 'pictures' that was available. i have experienced many different versions -- new york, montreal, etc, but the chicago symphony orchestra's brass section demonstrates on this amazing recording why they are indeed the best in the world.

the final charge of 'the great gate of kiev' is one of the finest moments ever pressed to compact disc. charlie vernon and gene pokorny lay down the foundation for what may be the best orchestral sound i have ever heard.

if you have nay sort of admiration for awe-inspiring brass performance, or just like the feeling an amazing performance gives you, put this disc in the machine, turn it all the way up, and let herseth and the boys take you to another place.

Pictures at an Exhibition is a tour de force for orchestra, requiring strong players in every chair, a well-paced interpretation from the conductor, a lot of excitement and a little good luck. This performance, for the most part, has it all. My only reservation is Chandos' recording process, which strikes me as somewhat bright and brittle. Nonetheless, this is the Chicago Symphony at highest voltage, with an especially good tuba solo in the Bydlo movement from Gene Pokorny.

Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy is, at its heart, a trumpet feature. Enter the legendary Chicago principal trumpeter Adolph Herseth and the result must be at least good, if not great. Herseth handles everything with ease and great energy. Once again, the recording process makes things sound overly bright, and this is also the period in Herseth's career when he was trying out a Monette trumpet that also sounded a little shrill to my ears. (He later went back to his Bach Stradivarius trumpet.) Nonetheless, this is a surprisingly good performance ... until the very end. For some odd reason, Herseth holds WAY over when the rest of the orchestra cuts off, reminiscent of Maynard Ferguson and creating an awkward closing to an otherwise good performance. Why Chandos allowed this to make it to the final cut I won't guess, but it does seem a bit tasteless.

So, in the balance, this is a very good recording and a must for Chicago Symphony fans, but I still find Solti's recording of Pictures (also with Chicago) to be the best of the best. Enjoy.

Pictures at an Exhibition is certainly a piece well suited to the CSO's strengths. I think this recording gets a little bit wild. Some of the brass playing gets raucous (even for the CSO)particularly at the end of Great Gate of Kiev. There are some release problems, etc. All in all, getting a chance to hear Adolph Herseth play these pieces is a treat, and I definately recommend this recording.

This is an interesting Pictures at an Exhibition. Throughout I got the impression that Jarvi was trying to force the orchestra into an interpretation they were uncomfortable with. Jarvi takes everything in tempi that are just slightly off, either a bit too quick or slow, and you can hear the orchestra fight it. While the individual parts sound fine, the group performance is always slightly off: odd balances, sudden dynamic changes, and dirty exits. This all holds true until the final bars where it seems that either Jarvi unleashes the brass or the brass just said 'the heck with it' and go for it. In any case, suddenly in the concluding bars, the brass erupt in typical Chicago sound (wonderful by the way) and make for a truly grand ending. The problem is that it seems to come out of nowhere and has no justification from earlier in the piece.
I cannot comment much on the Scriabin as I have no other reference, but this recording sounds fine and is very entertaining.
In conclusion I cannot recommend this. If you want a fine Chicago Pictures at an Exhibition there is always Reiner's well-known account. The typical Chicago sound is only present for the last 20-30 seconds and the remainder of the piece is a bit odd.

Pictures in Exhiibition and Poeme of Ecstasy, both are mystical and powerful pieces and they are extremely well-played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra who has both of these qualities. The Mussorgsky, is well-played, starting with the master Herseth's trumpet call, ends with the CSO brass section's glorius sound. Scriabin, is my favorite rendition and perhaps its the same for all other brass fans out there.
Herseth just pours out all the emotions into his huge sound, yet also gives some nuances that it is just amazing to hear. THE CSO's brass section, just attacks their parts, embodies the ecstatic moments throughout the piece.

Compared to CSO and Boulez's recording of this piece about 9 or 10 years later which has the immeasurable mystical depth through Boulez's calm and slow interpretation, this recording with Jarvi is extremely fiery and furious.

If you want to hear the true sound of the CSO Brass, which has been known as the greatest orchestral brass section in the world for over 60 years, this is a good recording to try.

I've never cared much for Pictures at an Exhibition, especially the orchestrated version. Sure, some of the tunes are memorable (I especially like "Il vecchio castello"), but the whole episodic concoction never floats my boat; this performance proved to be no exception. Though I can't speak to the interpretation, which to my ears is as good as any I've heard, I will say the orchestra plays wonderfully and the sound is as vivid and natural as can be imagined. If one likes this work, they should love this recording.

What I really like here is Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy, a twenty-minute exercise in fin de siècle orchestral color a la Ravel and whose sensual symbolism is well-nigh unmistakable! It's interesting to compare and contrast this with something such as Sibelius's Symphony No. 7, which takes on roughly the same form in the same amount of time, but with an entirely different musical and emotional objective.