Search - Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Masur :: Pictures at an Exhibition / Symphonie Classique

Different and Refreshing

Joshua Kaufman | Cincinnati, OH | 12/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the only recording I know of that contains the Gortchakov orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition. While it's not the most colorful in the world, it's a nice change from the heard-way-too-often Ravel version. I especially like the fortissimo horns at the beginning of Bydlo, and of course he keeps the Prominade V which Ravel left out. Overall, it's a great performance as always from the London Philharmonic The Classical Symphony of Prokofiev is also performed well here. While the tempos of the 1st and 3rd movements are a tad slow for my taste, the music is really brought out well and balanced - the sound quality of the recording is very good. I recommend this CD to anyone who like Pictures already, and this is certianly a good version of the Classical Symphony. It only gets four stars because it's under 50 minutes, and the two pieces aren't quite related enough to be the only two on the CD, in my opinion."