I grew up with this recording
Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 05/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My family had a cassette of Evgeny Svetlanov's wonderful rendering of Mussorgsky's organic "Pictures at an Exhibition" when I was very young, and we would listen to this countless times. We believed that this would be the only recording of that piece that we would listen to. Now that this piece is on CD (courtesy of Moscow Studio Archives) I'm very glad that I can hear a better sound for this. This is an ultimate (and under-appreciated) performance that holds true to the composer's intended atmospheres. To me, no other conductor comes close to Svetlanov (especially Carlo Maria Guilini; he takes it way too slow) and no other orchestra can bring out such passion and power. The only other orchestra that comes close is the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (with Yuri Temirkanov).
Along with "Songs & Dances of Death," "The Capture of Kars," and a selection from "Khovanshchina," this should be a great buy for all Mussorgsky fans. A+"