Blast in the New Year with Mussorgsky

What better way to say goodbye to 2016 than to pop the champagne and blast your way through to the Trump Years with the latest version of a double-whammy warhorse pairing, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain, from Gustavo Dudamel and the Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon)? After all, there's no getting around the fact that fireworks are fireworks, and that New Year's Eve is a night for same.

Dudamel's conducting of one of the world's greatest symphony orchestras certainly delivers the goods. Heard as a 24/96 download from HDTracks, which offers greater depth, a wider soundstage, and more image solidity and substance than the CD, the performances are colorful, lively, and engaging. Hall resonance is believable, and the emotional content and tempi are right on. Dudamel's lighter-weight "chaser," Tchaikovsky's 7-minute Waltz from Swan Lake, is a welcome bonus, and well-suited for sending you off to beddie-bye after the big pop.

But that's only part of the story. Arkivmusic.com, for example, has 107 audio and video listings for the Ravel orchestration of the work that Dudamel uses, and 154 versions for piano. Night on Bare Mountain, in turn, has 152. How does Dudamel's version compare with other notable hi-rez recordings of this music?

For comparison, I grabbed two other hi-rez recordings of the pairing: the hybrid SACD (Mariinsky) and 24/96 rendition from Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, released in 2015, and the classic Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra (RCA Victor/BMG/Sony) pairing from the late 1950s, which is still available as either an analog-to-DSD hybrid SACD or as either a DSD or 24/176.4–24/88.2 PCM download from HDTracks. Besides the fact that each recording has different pairings, with the Reiner the most generous in its bonuses, there are huge differences in sound quality and interpretation.

What Dudamel lacks that both Gergiev and Reiner have in spades is knockout weight in the bass. I don't know to what extent this may be due to the historic timpani of the Vienna Philharmonic, which I believe even have different material on their drumheads, or to the way different sound engineers approach different halls, but there's no getting around the fact that Gergiev and Reiner score major points on the deep end.

Equally uncontestable is that Dudamel's tempi, which are the fastest of the lot in Pictures, and midway between Reiner and Gergiev's on Mountain, are as exciting as Reiner's. Gergiev, on the other hand, comes across as lumbering in places, and smiling in none. In Pictures, his "Il Vecchio Castello" seems overly somber and, frankly, a bit boring. There's not enough delight in "Tuileries [Dispute d'enfants après jeux]," and a distinct lack of scamper in "Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques."

Even Gergiev's final "The Great Gate of Kiev"—that's the one that the most unbridled amongst us will want to play with windows open wide and dogs howling—may be big and bright—the brightest of the three, really, as well as the bassiest—but it also sounds too monumental, like one of those statues that embodies the dreary bottom line of Socialist Realism. Do we really need to think of tanks rolling into Red Square as we ponder the impending Trump-Putin Global Alliance?

The darker and more dismal the music is, the more Gergiev shines. Which is not necessarily what you're seeking on New Year's Eve as you blast the system while the ball falls in Times Square. That is, unless you're my mother, who devoted choice chunks of New Year's Eve and Day to bemoaning the past year's deaths of friends and loved ones. You could always count on her for an upper.

It should also be noted that Gergiev seems to have chosen a different version of Mountain—he translates it as Night on Bare Mountain—than the other men. Truth be told, it falls a bit flat. In the end, I'm as drawn to Dudamel's way with tenderness as I am to his and Reiner's hearty embrace of the rousing romp.

There is, however, one final, albeit somewhat extra-musical plus to Dudamel's performance. In the spirit of El Sistema, to whom he dedicated his first recording with the Vienna Philharmonic 10 years ago, he and the orchestra have again looked to the children who are our future. "In an increasingly polarized world characterized by intolerance and unrest, we as artists feel a renewed obligation to share the values expressed by music as a means for bridging social, political, cultural, generational and economic disparities," he writes in the otherwise minimal liner notes. Working with Superar, an organization in Vienna's underprivileged 10th district that provides free music lessons to about 900 kids from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, Dudamel and the Vienna Phil encouraged the kids to take their instruments into the streets of Vienna and creating their own exhibitions of photographs "every bit as playful and imaginative as Mussorgsky's animations of Viktor Hartmann's original paintings." How cool is that?

Hey, if you're a devoted audiophile, you probably already own the Reiner in multiple LP pressings and masterings, as well as in various CD, SACD, download, and maybe even master tape versions. High time to give Dudamel a try.

COMMENTS
Anon2's picture

One can't go wrong with these recommendations. We have three great versions from three great epochs and ensembles.

Here is another great recording of Pictures at an Exhibition that I have long enjoyed, available on three different CD issues.

Carlo Maria Giulini moved around a lot, perhaps too much to build a franchise legacy with a single orchestra, However, for those who kept up with his frequent jumps here and there, one is left with a no less impressive repertoire than if he had stayed put with one orchestra.

Here's a great recording of this work, with some others in two cases. These recordings come from two of the great, but all too brief, sojourns of Giulini in the US: in LA and in Chicago.

https://www.amazon.com/Mussorgsky-Pictures-Exhibition-Rapsodie-Espagnole/dp/B00000E330

The Ravel/Mussorgsky LAPO pairing of this CD was well considered, particularly since Ravel orchestrated the Mussorgsky work. The recordings of Mother Goose and Rhapsodie Espagnole are two of my favorites.

https://www.amazon.com/Mussorgsky-Giulini-Chicago-Symphony-Orchestra/dp/B0030GM766

This recording, following in the Reiner tradition, is one of the finest examples of Giulini's DG and EMI recorded legacy with the CSO. It's part 1 of the first recording I mentioned above.

For another version of Pictures, with some Borodin and Khachaturian thrown in, here's another permutation of the DG Chicago recording, on the recent and excellent DG Virtuoso series:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/mussorgsky-pictures-at-an-exhibition-mw0002321579

All of these recordings are available used at the bargain-basement prices that the great, endless CD bazaar affords those of us who remain loyal to the format.

I'll throw in a final recommendation about Fritz Reiner. I mentioned this earlier in a post. I just listened to the "Spain" recording that Fritz Reiner made of de Falla, Granados, and Albeniz. The recording includes the great Leontyne Price singing in El Amor Brujo. It would be a great complement to the Pictures RCA Living Stereo masterpiece recommended here.

woodford's picture

i don't see how the gratuitous mention of the president elect sheds light on either mussorgsky or the three featured performances of pictures. it's too banal to be offensive, it's just tedious and detracts from what might otherwise be an interesting survey.

as to the piece at hand, my favorite remains Karajan's with the Berlin Phil, coupled w/ outstanding versions of La Mer and Bolero. not hi-res, but available on Tidal here:

tidal.com/album/4365608

Axiom05's picture

The Karajan recording is available from HDTracks as a 24/96 remaster. Recommended.

woodford's picture

i searched for it, but couldn't find it at HDT using either Mussorgsky or Karajan as a search string.

Axiom05's picture

Very sorry! The album can be found at ProStudioMasters.com, not HDT. There is a 15% discount code that is good until midnight tonight: HITS

hnickm's picture

Arguably the best of the lot — Theodore Kuchar and the NSO of Ukraine (NAXOS 8555924- 2001). Hey, I said "arguably".

Jason Victor Serinus's picture

Arguably. In the great tradition...

Happy New Year,
jason

ednazarko's picture

It's one of my favorite pieces of music. I've got the Reiner/CSO, the Gergiev, and a version with Neeme Jarvi and the CSO. That one's my favorite, although the Reiner's close. I find the Gergiev version distracting in its differences vs other interpretations - I find myself paying more attention to "why is he doing it that way" than to the story. However, I find that I have differences with Gergiev's interpretations of a lot of music, something I've gotten very familiar with because the B&W Society of Sound classical selections are Gergiev conducting about half the time. I get artistic interpretation and creativity (I staged Macbeth once as the Manson family...) but that also invites criticism.

Now I have to get the Dudamel... and go check my LPs in the basement to see which version became my life reference (because I started listening to it when I was 8 or 9, and didn't stop until I stopped using turntables.) For a lot of classical music I find that the interpretive distance from the first version I heard correlates with the likelihood I'll disagree with it. Took me years to really appreciate the piano only version (which I didn't hear until I was in my 20s).

Although I liked Emerson, Lake, & Palmer's interpretation instantly.

dalethorn's picture

"Although I liked Emerson, Lake, & Palmer's interpretation instantly."

You never know exactly how much influence the band had, but they definitely influenced people toward classical music.

Allen Fant's picture

A Warhorse indeed!
Happy New Year- JVS.

johnnythunder's picture

Personally, apart from the Reiner, I have always thought the Maazel Cleveland Telarc recording the best modern stereo recording. Really thrilling playing with a lot of Szell and Boulez legacy Cleveland style and energy. The Reiner has more character and a different kind of epic quality to it. The Maazel is hyper virtuosic (to match the recording- vintage Telarc big deep drum sound.) Gergiev doesn't really compare and I've heard him do this live with the VPO at Carnegie Hall too. PS - I don't find any mention of the so-called "president elect" gratuitous.

Anon2's picture

Here are some more suggestions, including some of the aforementioned, from the Penguin Guide to CDs, 2000 edition (still my favorite volume). I will add the ratings from this publication.

Karajan - BPO DG 447 426-2 ***
Reiner - CSO RCA 09026 61401-2 (the one in this article) *** (Rosette - Special Designation)
Karajan - BPO DG Gold 439 013-2 ***
Giulini - CSO DG 415 844-2 *** (the one I mentioned)
Muti - Phil. Orch EMI cdm7 64516-2 ***
Szell - Cleveland Orch Sony SBK 48162 ***
Solti - CSO Decca 417 754-2 ***
Kubelick - CSO Mercury Mono (single mike) 434 378-2 (***)
Maazel - Philharmonia Orch., EMI Seraphim Digital CES5 68539-2 **(*)
Toscanini - NBC SO, RCA Mono DG 60287 (**)

I think the Penguin Guide stopped around 2008; that's when I got my last edition. When Tower records was around, and full-service "classical rooms" were still available for the genre, there were piles of these Penguin Guides, thoroughly used, with appropriately worn-out covers and binding, on the counter behind the cash register.

The Penguin Guides were the ultimate reference for classical recordings. For the resurgent LP crowd, they'd prove equally valuable, since many of the CD issues, including those that I listed here, once began their lives as LPs.

For reference, here's the ISBN data on the volume of the Penguin Guide I used to cite these Pictures at an Exhibition recordings: 0-140-51379-5. Perhaps JVS can get a real discussion going, and tell us which Penguin Guide was his favorite :).

Jason Victor Serinus's picture

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

The Penguin Guide was my standard for a while, while its quality was still good. But toward the end, the aging editorial team simply added new recordings to the old without ever going back to reassess the entire lot. In its last year, the Penguin Guide got so disorganized that it was listing two issues of the same recording, sometimes with different grades for same performance.

I do have three old Penguin guides around, but I rarely consult them these days. Instead, I see what recordings I can access in my collection, and listen to what I have time for. After CES, for example, I intend to review a three-disc opera set as a hi-rez download. Do you think I really have time to listen to four versions of that opera before writing the review? For that, happily, I can count on some of you.

We had a blast at our New Year's Day party. Somewhere between 35 and 45 people, fabulous food, great conversation, high spirits. I performed three selections to cries of encore. Then, after performing, a few friends joined me in getting stoned legally and heading to the music room. There, music by Stravinsky, Tuur, and Ravi Coltrane. The soundsystem was spectacular. And the hubby and I were able to end the day with two episodes from The Queen on Netflix, again in the music room, and a great cold evening walk with the dogs.

Happy New Year, one and all. More to come from CES.

dalethorn's picture

I'd really like to get the Dudamel from HDTracks, but the samples won't play on my MBP, and HDTracks says I need Flash to play them. So I installed all the Flash options and updates, rebooted, etc. - still won't play. I appealed to HDTracks again, but they don't answer any more. I really have a low opinion of HDTracks, since they seem so snooty bordering on hostile, and overall they make purchasing music a big hassle. Their download manager does work if you get it installed and can figure out where the music tracks are copied to, but getting to that point is not a pleasant experience.

Anon2's picture

This thread is getting off point big time, but we're discussing great recordings, so it's all OK. This has nothing to do with Pictures at an Exhibition, but I'll make a holiday suggestion to all.

Has anyone out there tried the Stockfisch Records samplers or other recordings from this label? I bought the Volume 1, "Closer to the Music" sampler from Stockfisch Records. I bought the SACD version for some holiday listening.

Perhaps this is not the best recording I have heard; I've heard some good hi-rez stuff at dealer seminars and shows. However, this is easily the best recording that I have ever purchased. Whether it's the best for another is subject to debate. However, I'd bet that few, if any, would be disappointed in this recording.

http://www.stockfisch-records.de/pages_art/sf12_cttm1_e.html

Oh, and on a final note, I agree with JVS. The Penguin Guide was on its last legs after 2008. They introduced the **** concept, and the "key" designation for key recordings. After this 2008 edition--and that's why I stopped at 2008--the issues mentioned in this thread, sadly, did bring this collection of books off of the zenith that it had in previous years. That's probably why I find myself using my well-worn 2000 edition.

Try Stockfisch Records, if you have not. They have a formidable LP collection and manufacturing process for followers of the format.

crenca's picture

and the follow up from everyone. I have been streaming several of these versions now and I think I am going to end up purchasing Gergiev's recording even though it does have some of the drawbacks Jason mentions. Just to be sure (the search is hit-and-miss as most know) but the Dudamel recording is not on Tidal correct?

CarterBro's picture

Perhaps you can find it at this link (not really sure how to share albums) https://listen.tidal.com/album/67366057

I searched Pictures at an exhibition and it came up first. Artist is Wiener Philharmoniker, Gustavo Dudamel.

Listening now and like it. I've been reading Murakami's new book of interviews with Seiji Ozawa called Absolutely on Music and one of the cool things they discuss is listening to different conductors doing the same work so JVS's article is quite some interest.

crenca's picture

Found it. I know Roon makes Tidal much more useful (espically for classical), but I have been holding off simply because I keep expecting for Tidal to simply run out of money and be turned off (sooner rather than later). Pessimism or realism? Not sure...

mrounds's picture

Thank you Monty. These are not your grandfather's Pictures:

Cameron Carpenter's rendition of Pictures (based on the piano score) at the Marshall & Ogletree virtual pipe organ, Trinity Church, NYC. CD is out of print but you can get an idea at Youtube: https://youtu.be/lP5D_g-Irxo (multiple parts)

Cameron is, of course, not the only organist to have a go at this. A fun survey was done at Pipedreams some years ago (http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2000/2035/). Unfortunately, that show hasn't been redone in the current format so the sound quality of the old Real Audio is kind of iffy.

Friends of the Wanamaker have a DVD of a 1986 concert where Keith Chapman plays it. http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/details.php?pid=192&class=all&cid

Finally, of course, there's Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. Their rendition will drive anybody interested in classical music crazy, but calm down, settle in, and enjoy! Reissued in 2016; I have the original vinyl, well-used (the CD is probably better). Amazon has it, of course, and you can probably find rips of all or part on Youtube.

luonghoainguyen's picture

How to write and evaluate, in my opinion is too real von! Because if you listen to Sacd with two versions of Fritz Reiner and Valery Gergiev, the most average listener can judge differently. Fritz Reiner's record has become a norm that may not be the best but worth listening to. If you want to compare the three versions, then the real record of Valery Gergiev is the best. A Russian spirit, a Russian soul, a Russian conductor and a Russian orchestra playing a Russian author's work is hard to overcome. But in the case of Valery Gergiev, the difference is that the Philips 2003 edition with the Wiener Philharmoniker is even better than the Mariinsky Orchestra! That's just my own feeling!

X