Mussorgsky / Ravel - Stravinsky : London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado – Pictures At An Exhibition / Pétrouchka

Modest Mussorgsky (orchestrated by Maurice Ravel) / Igor Stravinsky – Pictures at an Exhibition / Petrushka
London Symphony Orchestra · Claudio Abbado

This powerhouse recording brings together two defining masterpieces of 20th-century orchestral writing in vivid, high-definition performances by the London Symphony Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. With his trademark clarity and precision, Abbado draws out both the colour and structural brilliance in these works, allowing their rhythmic vitality and orchestral imagination to shine.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, in Maurice Ravel’s dazzling orchestration, is a journey through musical imagery - each movement painting a distinct scene, from the haunting “Gnomus” to the majestic “Great Gate of Kiev.” Abbado’s interpretation emphasises transparency and momentum, highlighting Ravel’s extraordinary orchestral detail while preserving the work’s emotional core.

Stravinsky’s Petrushka (original 1911 version) is equally groundbreaking, bursting with rhythmic complexity, bitonal clashes, and theatrical energy. The LSO delivers a performance of precision and bite, capturing the chaos, humour, and pathos of the puppet’s tragic story with striking immediacy.

Together, these works form a landmark pairing of Russian orchestral innovation - spectacular, dramatic, and endlessly inventive.

Tracklist:

Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel)
1 – Promenade
2 – Gnomus
3 – Promenade
4 – Il Vecchio Castello
5 – Promenade
6 – Tuileries
7 – Bydlo
8 – Promenade
9 – Ballet des petits poussins dans leurs coques
10 – Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuÿle
11 – Limoges: Le marché
12 – Catacombae / Cum mortuis in lingua mortua
13 – La cabane de Baba-Yaga
14 – La grande porte de Kiev

Petrushka (Stravinsky, 1911 version)
15 – Fête populaire de la semaine grasse / Le tour de passe-passe
16 – Danse russe
17 – Chez Petrushka
18 – Chez la maure / Danse de la ballerine
19 – Valse: la ballerine et le maure
20 – Fête populaire de la semaine grasse
21 – Danse des nounous
22 – Paysan et l’ours
23 – Bohémien et marchand malhonnête
24 – Danse des cochers et des palfreniers
25 – Les déguisés
26 – Le rixe: le maure et Petrushka
27 – Mort de Petrushka
28 – Police et l’enchanteur
29 – Vocifération du double de Petrushka