Search - Mussorgsky, Cleveland Orchestra, Oliver Knussen :: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Rarely heard arrangements given polished performances

Aaron A. Pisula | 01/08/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Often times the music listener/concertgoer becomes acquainted with certain pieces that are kind of "backbones" of the repertoire in that they are performed often and are audience favorites. Such is the case with Pictures. However, it did not achieve the fame it rightfully deserved until Ravel was commissioned to orchestrate the work, originially written for piano. Herein lies yet another orchestration often overlooked. It is quite a different take on ravel's famous version, using the resources of a very large orchestra and often sounding more dark and "russian" in nature than Ravel's French-influenced arrangement. Stokowski saught out to give these pieces the Russian flare he thought they deserve. This recording is a marvel both for its clear, sonic sound, and perfected playing of the Cleveland members. If you like bold, dark, amazingly clear orchestral sound, try to make this recording a part of your collection."