Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, A Night on Bald Mountain, and Other Russian Showpieces [Hybrid SACD]

1	Pictures at an Exhibition
2	Pictures at an Exhibition
3	Pictures at an Exhibition
4	Pictures at an Exhibition
5	Pictures at an Exhibition
6	Pictures at an Exhibition
7	Pictures at an Exhibition
8	Pictures at an Exhibition
9	Pictures at an Exhibition
10	Pictures at an Exhibition
11	Pictures at an Exhibition
12	Pictures at an Exhibition
13	Pictures at an Exhibition
14	Pictures at an Exhibition
15	Pictures at an Exhibition
16	Suite No. 1 for orchestra
17	Night on Bald Mountain (N
18	Prince Igor, opera (compl
19	Slavonic March, for orche
20	Colas Breugnon (Kola Bryu
21	Overture: Ruslan and Ludm
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, A Night on Bald Mountain, and Other Russian Showpieces [Hybrid SACD]
1.	Pictures at an Exhibition (Kartinki s vīstavski), for orchestra, orchestrated by Ravel 33:05
	Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner
2.	Suite No. 1 for orchestra in D minor, Op. 43: Marche miniature 2:05
	Composed by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner
3.	Night on Bald Mountain (Noch' na Līsoy gore), symphonic poem, edited by Stokowski 10:14
	Composed by Modest Mussorgsky
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner
4.	Prince Igor, opera (completed by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov): Polovtsian March 4:48
	Composed by Alexander Borodin
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner
5.	Slavonic March, for orchestra, Op. 31 10:29
	Composed by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner
6.	Colas Breugnon (Kola Bryun'yon), suite from the opera, Op. 24a: Overture 4:48
	Composed by Dmitry Kabalevsky
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner
7.	Overture: Ruslan and Ludmilla, G. xivov 5:19
	Composed by Mikhail Glinka
	Performed by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Fritz Reiner

Barnes & Noble

Music has the strange ability to conjure up visual images. In Pictures at an Exhibition Modest Mussorgsky commemorated an art exhibit by his late friend Victor Hartmann. Pictures is not just a musical representation of some fine drawings and paintings but also a touching record of the composer's reaction to his friend's work. In between the sonic depictions of the artwork are "promenades" -- a series of variations on a theme that reflect Mussorgsky's changing mood as he moved around the gallery. Originally composed for solo piano, Pictures is best known in Maurice Ravel's stunning orchestration. A Night on Bald Mountain (immortalized in Disney's animated film Fantasia) is a nightmarish vision, given here in the revised version by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In the early days of stereo, RCA made a series of recordings capturing Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony working at the peak of their powers. Not only is the superb sound quality still something to marvel at some 40 years later, but the interpretations remain unsurpassed in their virtuosity and dazzling color. Andrew Farach-Colton