I've not heard it, nor do I plan to, but come on, $50 for another recording of the Pictures, though here it's coupled to Bald Mountain? First, and perhaps somewhat heretically for some, Ravel's orchestration of Pictures is too garish and harms the superior original. Second, many of the old audiophile approved recordings from RCA and Mercury aren't especially good musically. Rene Liebowitz and the RPO is not top drawer stuff for the era, irrespective of sound quality. Maybe this particular recording is the exception. Maybe.

Perhaps I'm too curmudgeonly, but with each passing year I find the prices charged for sonic "masterpieces" sillier and sillier. Better to hunt the used shops.

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But blame your budget, not some idea that you know better than the

Dear Kal,

I am not sure what you mean; do you find Ravel

OK. Then let me be more detailed. I thought that Liebowitz' arrangement of Night was crude and overblown and, as it differs from every other performance I have heard, it is hard to compare that performance with others. One I do like are by Abbado (Mussorgsky's original) and by Maazel (Rimsky).

As for the Pictures, yes, it was "fleet and superficial" but the highlight miking made it crude with too much underlining of the obvious.

Kal

Thanks Kal.

Perhaps you can tell me which Pictures you like the most? I have a few, including Liebowitz's polar opposite a slow, slow version by Celibidache; which I do not recommend, but enjoy listening to, at least 4/5 of the way through. i'd be curious to see what fits the bill.

Mea culpa on the Night, I never listen to it, and forgot that it was Liebowitz conglomeration. I really don't want to have a Night-fest, but I should listen to it again.

Gregg

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Perhaps you can tell me which Pictures you like the most? I have a few, including Liebowitz's polar opposite a slow, slow version by Celibidache; which I do not recommend, but enjoy listening to, at least 4/5 of the way through. i'd be curious to see what fits the bill.

I cannot really. Pics is a nice piece but one that I have heard so many times that I can't think of picking one out to listen to purely on volition. I listened to the Liebowitz because I just got it. On the same day, I got the Janssens/RCO SACD and that impressed me as a solid performance in spectacular sound but, if memory serves, less impressive than ancient performances I heard with Karajan, Reiner and, live, Dutoit!

Kal

I have only the version on Supraphon from 1969 with the Czech Philharmonics / Karel Ancerl, which I find is a pretty good interpretation. Then again I have only heard a few others.