Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Alexander Borodin (Composer), Mikhail Glinka (Composer), Dmitry Kabalevsky (Composer), Modest Mussorgsky (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Fritz Reiner (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Fritz Reiner
• Composer: Alexander Borodin, Mikhail Glinka, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (March 15, 1994)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003FMY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,699 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Desert Island Recording..., September 2, 2004

By	Henry Mautner (Ludlow, KY, USA) - See all my reviews

This is one recording that lives up to its hype. On the podium, Fritz Reiner brings all of his storied strengths - an extraordinary sense of architecture, an outstanding ear for color, and an unparalleled (did someone say "sadistic"?) degree of discipline - to create the most beautifully conceived "Pictures" recorded in the 20th century.

But that's not all - in fact, that's not the half of it. The Chicago Symphony is superhuman in this recording, from the phenomonal opening solo trumpet passage of Adolph Herseth (in the first of his FIVE decades with the CSO) to the spectacular "Bydlo" of Arnold Jacobs on tuba, to the stupefying wall of sound in the final "Great Gate of Kiev" - well, the fact is that almost every orchestral player I know, on ANY instrument, refers to this recording as the gold standard for their own.

And the SOUND!... This was one of the first of the legendary RCA "Living Stereo" recordings (1957), and modern engineers could and should learn a lot about how to record an orchestra from these geniuses of the Eisenhower era. Another reviewer mentioned his disappointment in the "Catacombs" movement, and it's true - there are more sonically cogent recent performances (the Montreal Symphony under Charles Dutoit in a great recording comes to mind). But I would trade however many of those it would take to keep my SINGLE copy of this true wonder.

And there are additional treasures. "Pictures" was released on its own in LP form - it is joined here by CSO/Reiner recordings from 1959, including the best-played recording ever made of the "Colas Breugnon Overture," a spectacular "Russlan and Ludmilla," a very fine "Night on Bare Mountain" and "Marche Slav," and other "minor" Russian pieces.

All in all, this is one of the great recordings of the stereo era at a bargain price - snap it up and enjoy!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT Reiner/Chicago performances & RCA Living Stereo sound!, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

Reiner had the uncanny ability to excel in virtually every orchestral piece he ever committed to any ensemble, either in concert or on a recording. This CD, a combination of two early RCA Living Stereo LPs, had "Pictures" on its own apart from the other pieces that fill it out, under the name of "A Festival of Russian Music." In addition to impeccable playing, the Chicago Symphony sounds as great as it ever has in these pieces. In "Pictures," notable is the powerful orchestral buildup in "Bydlo," and the great woodwind playing in "Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells." The reknown Chicago brass are not to be ignored in "Great Gate of Kiev." The other pieces are notable for a house-shaking bass drum in "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Marche Slave".

In short, another installment in the phenomenal output of Reiner and Chicago.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible music and an amazing recording, January 1, 2006

By	Dick K (Centreville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

What a treat for the ears!

The Living Stereo series was wonderful then and it's even better now. There are two releases of this album, this 2 channel CD and a hybrid SACD with both this CD's track and a 3 channel version, which is how it was originally recorded. If you have a player that can handle it, I strongly recommend you get the SACD.

Although this review used the hybrid SACD it applies to both.

This release has fantastic sound quality and, thankfully, is completely true to both music and the original recording. Originally recorded in "3 channel stereo" that's what you get here--no, there's nothing in the rear channels of the surround mix but that's exactly the way it should be. Taken directly from the nearly 50-year old (!) masters, the engineers did nothing at all to the sound except digitize and transfer each track to the SACD/CD master. Nothing added, nothing subtracted. And the quality of those masters is astounding--clear, bright and full. No tape hiss. No loss of highs. Just wonderful music expertly performed.

Dissapointed you're only getting 3 channels and not 5-7? Don't be. You'll hear the musicians arranged across the broad, but shallow, Chicago Symphony Hall just as the engineers heard them in the recording sessions in 1957. And those musicians are superb, particularly to my ears, the brass and woodwinds. This is an excellent orchestra caught at its prime.

In short, get this CD! Even if you don't have a universal player now, the 2 channel transfer is equally good, a faithful recreation of a classic LP. And if you can play the SACD layer so much the better because for the first time you'll hear exactly what was recorded and what the engineers heard in nearly 50 years ago.