In the early years of digital recordings, it made sense to record
Christoph von Dohnányi in great swathes of the standard repertoire. A superb technician and a stalwart champion of traditional interpretive values,
Dohnányi was teamed with the
Cleveland Orchestra in complete cycles of the symphonies of
Beethoven and
Brahms for Telarc, selected symphonies of
Bruckner and
Mahler for Decca, and occasional discs of less central repertoire for Teldec, like this 1989 all-
Mussorgsky program reissued here on WEA Classics in 2008.
Twenty years later,
Dohnányi and the Cleveland's
Mussorgsky, like their
Bruckner and their
Brahms, still impresses from a technical point of view. With their superb balances, poised tempos, and brilliant playing, everything in the scores is absolutely audible. It could also be argued that, aside from the soloists, there is not much difference between
Dohnányi's Pictures at an Exhibition and half a dozen contemporary conductors' equally self-effacing Pictures;
Muti's,
Maazel's, or
Masur's immediately come to mind. Listeners interested in more distinctive interpretations of
Mussorgsky's masterpieces are urged to seek out the canonical recordings of
Reiner and
Szell. WEA's un-remastered digital sound is vivid and present. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
