At approximately five minutes, thirty-five seconds into the first track, Night on Bald Mountain, when an attack on the cymbals nearly convinced me there was a percussionist in my room, I knew I was listening to something special. Modest Mussorgsky was arguably the greatest Russian composer, and as such, his compositions are among the most frequently performed and recorded. They have been adapted and arranged by many great composers and conductors, including Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov and, on this multichannel BD, the great conductor Leopold Stokowski. The frequent readings of Mussorgsky apply to much of his work, but especially Pictures at an Exhibition and the first track. I have been exposed to a few legendary and audiophile-caliber recordings, including the Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra recording of Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on the Bare Mountain (separately) on RCA. So when I encounter a new--ok, this recording is actually a few years old and now produced in 7.1 DTS-HD MA--reading of these legendary pieces, my first reaction is to yawn. Leopold Stokowski's transcriptions of Mussorgsky's work, in the hands of conductor Jose Serebrier, piqued my interest, as did the multichannel production. As it turns out, while the reading and recording both have their problems, the sound is uniquely engaging. True to the words on the cover, it is an "acoustic reality experience".
Modest Mussorgsky was arguably the greatest Russian composer.
To describe Mussorgsky's work in a few words, terms like "forceful", "original" and "elemental" come to mind, and he was considered a true Russian. Born in 1839, his upper-class family lost much of its land-ownership wealth after the emancipation of serfs in 1861. Mussorgsky found work with the engineering department of the Ministry of Communications, and later with the forestry department of the Ministry for State Property, composing in his spare time. He wrote Night on Bare Mountain in 1867, an operatic adaptation of Pushki's Boris Godunov in 1872 and Pictures at an Exhibition in 1874. Another historical opera Khovanshchina was never completed. Each of these compositions is included on Surround Records' BD, along with the lesser known Morceaux, Solitude and Traditional Slavic Christmas Music.
Mussorgsky's best-known work, Pictures at an Exhibition, was inspired by the death of the composer's close friend, painter and architect Victor Hartmann. A mutual friend, Vladimir Stasov, arranged an exhibition of Hartmann's work in St. Petersburg. Originally conceived by Mussorgsky as a suite of piano pieces correlating to the artwork on display, the work's stroke of genius is its Promenade, a recurring theme that represents the viewer walking between the pictures. The suite remained unpublished until after Mussorgsky's death. It captivated other composers who fully orchestrated it, most notably Ravel in 1922. St. John's Night on Bare Mountain, as it was originally called, is Mussorgsky's only major orchestral work, although Rimsky-Korsakov fleshed out a more beefy version that included other fragments from the original composer. The work was intended to be an episode in an opera, Sorochintsy Fair. It tells an orchestral story of a midsummer night when witches meet on the Sabbath at Bare Mountain near Kiev, according to Russian folklore. The middle section of the piece is so intense and emotional in its sheer dynamic flow that it has been used to demo countless audio systems in high end stereo shops around the world.
About the worst that can be said of Surround Records' Mussorgsky Blu-ray is some spotlighting of the percussion and woodwinds that made the strings sound a touch more subdued in comparison. But that type of production does not hinder Mussorgsky's dynamic compositions. What holds them back slightly is Serebrier's plodding, somewhat mechanical reading. Seven works are featured on this Blu-ray disc, from the fully orchestrated, well-known pieces to a piano/violin duet--all in lush 7.1 DTS-HD MA. The treble overall is detailed and extended, with an attack that delivers many cues of real live instrumentation. The midrange features a refined, liquid characteristic that effectively sweetens massed strings, providing a striking juxtaposition to the immediacy of the treble. Bass is almost as strong and defined as the treble, with the lower register strings and timpani drums particularly well resolved.
Overall, the audio is in keeping with the very best DTS-HD MA mixes available on Blu-ray. Most other DTS-HD MA mixes feature a treble bloating and somewhat sucked-out midrange that only bothers the most sensitive of listeners. But what about the soundstage? The 7.1 mix may have been overkill, considering only ambient noise was assigned to the surround and rear channels. The imaging accurately reproduced a concert hall, with the orchestra firmly anchored across the front three channels. I found the overall presentation very tasteful, in terms of the reverberation characteristics and ambient channels--the recording was not too wet. I prefer it on the dry side, which often involve close-mic'ing. Obviously that isn't possible with a full orchestra, so I find myself compromising my preferences to appreciate some classical recordings. This version of Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain are recorded and produced for 7.1 with great care and attention to detail.
Better readings of the main compositions presented here have long been available, but this DTS-HD MA mix comes strongly recommended for collectors, Blu-ray fanatics and listeners new to Mussorgsky. The treble has an immediacy and analog quality that is common only to above average Blu-ray discs. Night on Bald Mountain in particular qualifies as demo material, with its dramatic crescendos, but I enjoyed the entire production. Some aspects of the production--whether the DTS-HD MA engineering or the recording itself--demonstrated a spotlighting effect. But it doesn't bother me. Many of the most legendary recordings, including George Szell's Columbia output with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, also featured spotlighting. Speaking of Szell, it was he who first recognized the brilliance of Jose Serebrier and took the young composer under his wing. Another draw of this BD is the Stokowski symphonic transcriptions, which are a joy to hear even in the hands of Serebrier.
And now a brief financial tip. The growing number of audio-only BDs is one more reason to invest heavily in high end audio gear. Sure, you go into debt. But as the current sad state of the economy proves, electronics is pretty much the safest investment you can make. Sure, you can stuff cash under your mattress, but that won't help you enjoy beautiful music like Mussorgsky compositions in 7.1 multichannel.
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