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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 

chayro
1tomvoj
4 posts
 

I have enjoyed listening to Boyk, Pictures at an Exhibition on Performance Recordings PR-7.  Its available in vinyl or CD.  The release issued in 1990 and was mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab.  It is advertised as all analog and that it uses all tube electronics before the recorders.  I see it available used on Discogs and it is mostly inexpensive.  James Boyk was in the music department at Cal Tech. 

coppy777
141 posts
 

I’ve always enjoyed Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra on Reference Recordings.

sevi01
22 posts
 

I like this one for it's cover art by Josef Albers:

rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano
2,654 posts
 

A really impressive and intriguing take on the work is by Khatia Buniatishvili.

dmac
2 posts
 

An extraordinarily inspirational and fun presentation was from Emerson, Lake and Palmer, when in fall of 1977 they outrageously thought that they could take the show on tour with a 70 piece orchestra. After only a few weeks, they realized the folly of such expense and had to dismiss the orchestra. All were heartbroken as so much fun had been in in the offing, that the orchestra, virtually to the last person said, it's OK... You don't have to pay us. We just want to show to go on! Alas, this was impermissible under union rules, but certainly indicated the enthusiasm for the project. And who knew there were lyrics? Greg Lake, that's who. (He wrote them). This, to me, is truly goodly, spiritually speaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4lEEigeeo

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