Customer Reviews

St. John's Night On Bare Mountain

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First, not to be pedantic, but the choral version of "Night on Bare Mountain" is not the original version. It is in fact the last of four versions penned by Mussorgsky's hand, and was intended as an adaptation for an opera. There are (that I'm aware of) three existing versions of the piece: the original orchestral work, the choral version, and the reorchestration by Rimsky-Korsakov. The original is in my opinion the most interesting with a brutal almost "modern" sound that would almost seem at home within the 20th century. The choral version is more mild by comparison, and interestingly enough, shares quite a few musical similarities with the Rimsky-Korsakov version. Just thought I'd clear that up.

Now to the review. In one word--spectacular! Abbado is in my mind the greatest conductor of Mussorgsky alive (as odd as the notion of an Italian conducting the most Russian of Russian music might initially seem), and this disc is no exception. Everything is simply flawless, and if you are looking for Mussorgsky pieces this disc is a must buy. As well you should look into Abbado's recording of the original version of "Night on Bald Mountain" on RCA--it's priceless.

This one and only vocal version of the "bare mountain" is the original piece mussorgsky composed before his attempt to orchestrate it and is the better one of the two. the orchestral version orchestrated by rimsky-korskov lacks the magic of mussorgsky's unique and unrefined musical qualities . The vocal version allows the listner to understand the scene in a more profound maner. Abbado achieves a very vivid demonic atmosphire. the voices of the demones, witches and dwarves create a chaotic blend of harmony. it also features excerpts from mussorgsky's opera "khovanshchina" a beautyfull lively prelude which paints a colorful picture of the russian landscape. Sony did a good job in recording this performace which resulted in a cd that is all quality.

Claudio Abbado is to be thanked for bring rare pieces and a version of Night on Bare Mountain that is hardly if ever done.

Not only has Abbado and the BPO brought them to us, their performances are of the highest quality.

The playing of the orchestra has all the color and qualities that one expects from this great group. Claudio Abbado shows why he is a great conductor of russian music. There is a natural flow to the music and he brings out all the demon like qualites as well as the subtle colors needed to make this music sound good and exciting.

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