Track Listings (26) - Disc #1| All Artists: Modest Mussorgsky, Zoltan Kodaly, Sergey Prokofiev, George Szell Title: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition/Háry János Suite Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 1 Label: Sony Original Release Date: 1/1/1992 Re-Release Date: 6/2/1992 Genres: Soundtracks, Classical Styles: Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 074644816228 |
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Search - Modest Mussorgsky, Zoltan Kodaly, Sergey Prokofiev :: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition/Háry János Suite
 | Modest Mussorgsky, Zoltan Kodaly, Sergey Prokofiev Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition/Háry János Suite Genres: Soundtracks, Classical
How do you describe perfection? George Szell's legacy in Cleveland emphasized the great classical and Romantic symphonic repertoire, with relatively few forays into more modern music. But no orchestra ever played these 2... more »     |
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Amazon.com essential recording How do you describe perfection? George Szell's legacy in Cleveland emphasized the great classical and Romantic symphonic repertoire, with relatively few forays into more modern music. But no orchestra ever played these 20th-century masterpieces with more glitter and precision, and the Prokofiev/Kodaly works, when first issued together on LP, immediately became the standard by which all other performances are measured. In fact they still are, and at budget price, not only do they cost less than they did when they were first recorded, you get a spectacular Pictures thrown in as a bonus. It may not be rational from a marketing point of view to sell your best records at ever-lower prices, but consumers can only rejoice. --David Hurwitz Similar CDsSimilarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsPerfection indeed! Mark Kolakowski | Fair Haven, NJ United States | 12/14/2000 (5 out of 5 stars) "My classical collection is rapidly approaching 300 volumes, and I've culled a few dozen along the way. Bar none, this is the most scintillating recording from end to end. "Pictures" has long been my favorite classical work, and Szell's interpretation here is in a dead heat with Lorin Maazel's on Telarc for top honors, in my estimation. Meanwhile, I concur that the readings of Hary Janos and Lt. Kije are equally brilliant, and they clearly exceed all other versions that I've heard. And all this for a budget price. Pounce. If this is your first exposure to Szell's work, you'll rightly wonder why his fame has so diminished in the 3 decades since his death (so much for being a workman rather a showman). Do search the Sony Essential Classics label for more Szell at knock-down prices." Good, but I politely do not concur fox@ucla.edu | Los Angeles, CA | 07/18/2001 (3 out of 5 stars) "OK, I realize that this will be an unpopular viewpoint compared to those espoused by the others here. But I just don't think Szell captures what Pictures at an Exhibition is about. Take the opening- everybody knows that- it is supposed to be majestic and grand, the brass sound should overwhelm you. Here, it doesn't. Szell just plows through it- it's like a metronome is conducting. Sometimes this is appropriate. Here, it is not. This is how I feel about most of the Pictures recording here- it is plowed through at a breakneck pace, almost like each movement is just desperate to get to the next. The individual beauty of some of the spectacular moments in the piece are missed at the expense of getting to the next spectacular moment.This said, I must agree that the Kodaly and the Prokofiev are superb for the bargain price. Especially the Kodaly. The Prokofiev suffers more from the outdated recording technology than from the performance- some of those moments are just dying for greater recording clarity at extreme dynamic ranges.The price, however, is undeniably right, and if you are looking for a bargain than this is for you. I would go no where near the word "definetive" though, except perhaps with the Kodaly. But this is just my opinion." Great Recording Mark Kolakowski | 12/04/1999 (5 out of 5 stars) "Wow! What a great job by Szell and his Clevelanders. Kudos to David Zander on the cornet solos in the Prokofiev. Without a doubt, the best recording of Hary Janos to date. If only Szell recorded more Prokofiev!"
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