The orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition seems to have stimulated quite a number of musicians. Ravel’s scoring remains unsurpassed, but I enjoy Stokowski’s version too. Funtek’s arrangement, made in the same year as Ravel’s (1922), is already available on CD played by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Segerstam (BIS, 6/87). In his notes to this new Finlandia disc Saraste, who chose to select movements from both the Funtek and Gortchakov versions, suggests that the latter’s more dramatically forceful conception in some of the Pictures combines well with Funtek’s gentler treatment of others. Moreover Saraste has taken care to use an orchestra which the composer would have recognized, and which he insists invalidates Funtek’s use of the bass clarinet in “Bydlo” and Gortchakov’s soprano saxophone to represent “Samuel Goldenburg”. The result is certainly enjoyable and the Toronto orchestra present the music with plenty of gusto, no little finesse and considerable warmth. The recording has an attractive combination of spaciousness and vivid colour.
The “Promenades” are mostly the work of Funtek (F) and, as at the opening, use the strings a great deal, usually filling out later with the brass. “Gnomus” is a bizarre portrait from Gortchakov (G), with a piquant touch added by the Chinese block; “Promenade” No. 2 opens with a doleful bassoon to create a suitable mood for “The old castle” (still F), where a cor anglais takes the minstrel role. “Promenade” No. 3 (G) returns to the strings, but once again the brass adds to the sonority. “Tuileries” (F) has great charm and is very delicately scored, with an oboe lead. “Bydlo” (G), with its brass chorale of trombones and horns, makes an immediate entry with the forte intended by Mussorgsky, rather than appearing in the distance with Ravel’s slow crescendo. Then the woodwind, led by flute and oboe, open the fourth “Promenade” (F) to anticipate the charm of the ballet (G), where the unhatched chicks come right out of their shells and seem to be chasing each other around in circles.
“Samuel Goldenburg and Schmuyle” (F) is the one near-disaster: Ravel knew best about this. The opening combination of strings and bassoon with fluttering woodwind is weak and out of character: the argument only gathers force at the entry of trumpets and bass trombone, when the impression is aggressive rather than wheedling. The market scene of “Limoges” (G) is not too different from that of Ravel, and Gortchakov is at his most forcefully dramatic in the “Catacombs” sequence with a thundering bass drum, while “Baba-jaga” is portrayed as grotesquely as “Gnomus” with a trombone solo in the central section. The finale opens spectacularly and builds to a splendid climax (with some curious chirping flutes on the way). The fat sound of the recording is overwhelming, although I miss the tam-tam on the off-beats (which was so thrilling on the Maazel record of the Ravel scoring, Telarc – 11/84).
Saraste uses A Night on the Bare Mountain as a vigorously powerful introduction, as satanic as Rimsky’s scoring (with those curious interpolated fanfares) will allow. It is very well played and strongly dramatic. The Capture of Kars and the Scherzo come off brightly too, but the Khovanshchina prelude (Rimsky scoring with real imaginative insight, especially in the unforgettably evocative coda) is not as magical as it can be, despite being well played.
In short an interesting disc, vividly played and, given near demonstration sound quality, primarily of interest to collectors of different approaches to Mussorgsky’s picture gallery. '