Vladimir Horowitz recorded it on the piano twice; George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra on Sony with two other great pieces is a favorite. I have never seen the value of pop versions since the orchestral versions are better played and colorful enough for any taste.
Pictures at an Exhibition
For someone who studied music in college, I somehow managed to miss Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition until now. I admit I’m not a fan of large-scale orchestral works, so I avoided it not knowing that it was originally written for solo piano. I picked up both CD and vinyl copies of the solo piano version and I think it is fabulous. A wonderful mix of simplicity and virtuosity and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’m definitely tempted to pick up another version.
Plese let me know if you are aware of any outstanding performances of this piece. Thanks