Mussorgsky - St. John's Eve on Bald Mountain (1867) [Abbado, LSO]

Name of Work: St. John's Eve on Bald Mountain (1867)
Conductor: Claudio, Abbado
Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Record 1980 in London

[joemahlerng]

Abbado’s best recoding with LSO, sound quality is not good but music are great, specially the tracks with chorus, beautifully done

[mbmuadib]

I love that cd... I love this version. Thanks Abbado.

[mirakor]

Brilliant performance indeed. Thanks Abbado, thanks LSO!

[Metasisic]

Though Rimsky was well known as an orchestrater, it is Mussorgsky that has the best known works of the National school or the Russian five. In the pamplet to this work it says Balakirev got onto Mussorgsky for going completely out of scale among other blunders with the composition. But the original orchestration by Mussorgsky is just as fascinating in many ways as the more prim and properly balanced Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration. After all it was definitely Mussorgsky's idea that the composition express an explosive vehement nature. This particular Abbado recording is definitely worth looking further into for the other recordings from it also. Primarily the brilliant little scherzo for orchestra and the highly patriotic and nationalistic composition Joshua. If you enjoy this particular work, also check out The Gnome from Mussorgsky's Pictures an an Exhibition.

[eaglehawktigerbear_]

Moves a lot faster than the other versions on here

[ClownFromTheYear]

_0:00__ Start of _*_"Golgotha"_*

[CRITICNO]

published in 1968, standalone version..

[gnikcohs]

Too late now perhaps but I much prefer the title _Night on Bare Mountain_. I did not know that Rimsky K's orchestration is what made this piece a concert and recording staple. It was never performed in Mussorgsky's lifetime and _his_ original version is still, I think, slowly getting its own space. I am not sure which this is, though 'original version' suggests it is Mussorgsky's.

[AlanKroeger]

It always annoyed me how they besmirched Mussorgsky's workmanship. The genius of Mussorsky is readily apparent in this version. Rimsky-Kosokov didn't add much to his version

[nerd]

I find this version to be the superior one

[mrtchaikovsky]

I'll never understand those who prefer Rimsky's butchering of this incredible work.