Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on Bald Mountain; Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales

Modest Mussorgsky (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Giuseppe Sinopoli (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
• Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli
• Composer: Modest Mussorgsky, Maurice Ravel
• Audio CD (April 5, 1991)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GDA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,046 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

2. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

3. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

4. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

5. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

6. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

7. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

8. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

9. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

10. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

11. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

12. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

13. Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vïstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel: Ravel orchestration

14. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 1, Modere

15. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 2, Assez lent

16. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 3, Modere

17. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 4, Anime

18. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 5, Presque lent

19. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 6, Assez vif

20. Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra): No. 7, Moins vif

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best "Pictures at an Exhibition" recording of our time, October 15, 2002

By	John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This splendid Deutsche Grammophon recording of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" deserves its critical praise as among the finest versions ever recorded. Sinopoli leads the New York Philharmonic in a majestic performance, noted for his appropriate use of broad tempi, slowly building from one satisfactory climax to another. The New York Philharmonic's brass and string sections are exemplary, playing with much warmth and brilliance. Indeed, the New York Philharmonic's brass section sounds as vibrant as the Chicago Symphony's or the Berlin Philharmonic's. "Pictures at an Exhibition" is coupled with two splendid performances of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bare Mountain" and Ravel's "La Valse". Anyone who doubts whether the New York Philharmonic can play as well as its peers in Chicago and Berlin should listen to this fine recording, which is unquestionably among the orchestra's best in the past two decades.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cross-Compare before you buy!, October 12, 2005

By	Martin Selbrede (The Woodlands, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I already had plenty of versions of the Mussorgsky works in my CD collection, I was swayed by the lavish praise heaped on this Sinopoli recording by Amazon reviewers. Buying it was certainly one way to determine if the praise was deserved. Since I decided it wasn't, I'm out the money but gained some experience in trusting my fellow reviewers here on Amazon. Sinopoli has done credible work elsewhere (Gurrelieder, Schubert's 8th, etc.), but this version of Pictures on the Bald Mountain (or is it Night at the Exhibition?) wasn't remarkable. Yes, there was the occasional "hmmm, interesting" moment, but they were few and far between. Of the movements, Limoges seemed to be well-thought-out from beginning to end: if all the movements had this quality of interpretation, Sinopoli would have earned 5 stars, not 3. One reviewer praised the muted trumpet solo for being rich rather than thin, but wasn't a thin sound from Schmuyle what Ravel intended in his transcription (although I'm not necessarily endorsing Karajan's version)?

There are far worse versions than this (not considering Tomita's for the moment), but there are certainly more definitive versions as well. Look to Giulini and Abbado as more reliable guides here, at least on Pictures. (Abbado's original version of Night on Bald Mountain is worth acquiring, but it's not a fair comparison here because it's a completely different work than what Rimsky put through his beatgrinder.)

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful!, August 25, 2001

By	BP from N.C. (Burlington, N.C.) - See all my reviews

I just got this cd today, and it's the best one I have heard. The opening Promenade starts with the full, robust New York Philharmonic brass then over to the strings and so forth. Bydlo is very nice and musical and gives you the impression that a poor peasant is singing sadly on his Oxcart. Baba Yaga is very intense, Catacombae does make you feel that you are in a cave with sculls and bones laying about. Night on Bald Mountain is also included on this disc and reminds me of Halloween indeed! Very nice! Highly Recommended!