"Pictures From Exhibition" best recording?

I can't help you directly, but have you tried the Penguin Guide ? I have always found it to be a very helpful guide, whether you're looking for performance quality, recording quality, or both.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/014051497X/qid=1005937946/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_12_1/104-3521912-0475126

I hope I'm not stating the obvious ... I haven't heard as much mention of this book in the US as I used to back in the UK, so I'm not sure how well it is known/regarded in the US.

I'm not sure there are any great recordings of the piano version of the Mussorgski piece, but there are quite a few of the Ravel orchestration of it. Look for the Solti performances, as well as the famous Karajan ones. They're all very well recorded.

My favorite is Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain; Pictures at an Exhibition, Maazel (conductor), Telarc (recording Co.)
Watch out for the volume….
Don

Best Piano version of this masterpiece is IMO by Hyperion KNIGHT on the Wilson Audio WCD-9025.
It is simply SUPERB.
And what about "Pictures" transcribed for Organ. Try DORIAN recordings DOR#90117 with master Jean Guillou at the great organ of the Tonhalle,Zurich
Happy listening

Agree with Seandtaylor99, Penguin Guides are invaluable. Available from Amazon.

In case Marakanetz doesn't want to wait to get a copy, the top-ranked cd version is by Mikhail Peltnev on Virgin/EMI VC7 59611-2. A mono version by Horowitz on RCA is also recommended. Can't lay my hands on the Penguin Guide for LPs at the moment, so can't help you there.