Fritz Reiner – Moussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures At An Exhibition (45rpm / 200g) 2-LP

Audiophile presning af Mussorgsky´s mesterværk i 200 gram / 45 rpm vinyl!

Leveringstid: På lager.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
Label: Acoustic Sounds, 1957

Another blockbuster, both sonically and musically, from the unbeatable combination Reiner / RCA (and Mohr & Layton). Recorded in 1957 at Chicago Orchestra Hall; the original analog tapes were used for mastering the LPs and SACDs. Mussorgsky's inspiration for the "Pictures... " was the death of his close friend, the architect and visual artist Wiktor Hartmann. At his untimely death at the age of 39, Hartmann had not yet had the opportunity to realise his architectural visions, and Mussorgsky was worried because his friend left no legacy. At the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, there was an exhibition of Hartmann's drawings - both architectural designs and portraits or scenes from everyday life. This recognition gave Mussorgsky sufficient inspiration for his composition, but was not sufficient to secure Hartmann a permanent place in history. Nowadays the piece is mainly known for the orchestral version by Maurice Ravel from 1922. In fact, the work had already been orchestrated several times by a number of lesser-known artists. Meanwhile, some conductors have come to believe that Ravel's version, despite its colourfulness, sacrifices some of the unpolishedness inherent in Mussorgsky's original piano composition. In addition, Ravel worked with Rimsky-Korsakov's version of the piano score - the only one available at the time - in which some of the notes and rhythms were modified. But none of all these orchestrations changes the fundamental spirit of the piece. Mussorgsky imagines taking a walk through the hall where the work of his late friend is exhibited, his measured progress being represented by the promenade with which the piece begins and which returns several times. While he stops in front of each picture, he thinks about what he sees. Between the initial pieces, the promenade is heard again and again, as Mussorgsky consciously moves from one image to the next. But as he progresses, he becomes less aware of the intervals between the individual exhibits, he is more and more immersed in the recurring psychological experience of moving from one mental state to another. In the end, the composer sees himself transformed by his association with Hartmann through his visual expressions of Russian pride and humanity.

1. Promenade

2. Gnomus

3. Promenade

4. Il Vecchio Castella

5. Promenade

6. Tuileries

7. Bydlo

8. Promenade

9. Ballet Of The Chicks In Their Shells

10. Samuel Goldenburg und Schmuyle

11. The Market Place At Limoges

12. Catacombae, Sepulchrum Romanum

13. Von Mortuis In Lingua Mortua

14. The Hut On Fowl’s Legs

15. The Great Gate Of Kiev