Pictures at an Exhibition: Evgeny Kissin, Various: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Amazon's Evgeny Kissin Store

Music

Photos

Biography

Evgeny Kissin was born in Moscow in October 1971 and began to play by ear and improvise on the piano at the age of two. At six years old, he entered a special school for gifted children, the Moscow Gnessin School of Music, where he was a student of Anna Pavlovna Kantor, who has remained his only teacher. At the age of ten, he made his concerto debut playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 466 and gave… Read more in Amazon's Evgeny Kissin Store

›

Visit Amazon's Evgeny Kissin Store

for 46 albums, 6 photos, discussions, and more.

Frequently Bought Together

Price For All Three: �34.99

Some of these items are dispatched sooner than the others. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item: Pictures at an Exhibition ~ Evgeny Kissin Audio CD �14.82

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Chopin - 4 Ballades / Piano Works ~ Evgeny Kissin Audio CD �10.47

In stock but may require up to 2 additional days to deliver.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Variations ~ Evgeny Kissin Audio CD �9.70

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Product details

Composer: Various
Audio CD (9 Feb 2002)
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Sony Music
ASIN: B00005UED7
Other Editions: MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 29,105 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Track Listings

1. "Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C, BWV 564"
2. Pictures at an Exhibition
3. Prelude
4. Intermezzo (Adagio)
5. Fugue
6. The Lark
7. Promenade
8. Gnomus
9. Promenade
10. Il vecchio castello
11. Promenade
12. Tuileries
13. Bydlo
14. Promenade
15. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
16. Samuel Goldenberg & Schmu�le
17. Promenade
18. Limoges march�
19. Catacombae (Sepulcrum romanum)
20. Con mortuis in lingua mortua
See all 22 tracks on this disc

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Evgeny Kissin never disappoints on record: no matter how high your expectations, he always finds a way of surpassing them. This disc features the piano transcription of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition as well as the Bach-Busoni Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C, BWV564, plus a charming Glinka song arranged by Balakirev, and is stunning in every way. Hitherto, one of the best recordings of Mussorgsky's masterpiece was that of Ivo Pogorelich, in which the sound is sculpted with rare authority and grace. But, after a notably unfussy start, Kissin finds a more extreme kind of magic: virtuosic of course, but by turns also comic and deeply expressive; his palette of colour is astonishingly rich. It's no surprise that Busoni's arrangement of Bach's short suite should be so seldom played--with its bare octaves and awkward angularities, it's the very opposite of ingratiating--but Kissin brings it unerringly through to its final blaze of glory. And as for The Lark, just let that bonne bouche work on you. This is a lovely record. --Michael Church

Review

It's hard to believe the Russian wunderkind is now in his early 30's, especially as there's still a boyish innocence about the face that gazes coolly past you from the cover of his new disc. But Kissin's been technically fully-formed since he first burst onto the international concert scene as a prodigy, even though his interpretations have sometimes left brows furrowed. It's always been easy to admire how Kissin does something, without necessarily understanding why he does it...but from an interpretative point of view, his Pictures are utterly compelling.

In this gallery the images leap from the frames, colours glowing, shadows threatening; brooding, leering, bristling with life. Gnomus, the sinister little nutcracker in the first picture, sets the tone after the opening promenade: Kissin's steely fingers delineate the gnome's grotesque outline with a force that's missing from so many other recordings. There's a clarity and precision that makes other pictures positively glitter, dazzling with detail - try Tuileries or Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, and the market place in Limoges is full of clattering and chattering, the shoppers and traders flinging patter and gossip at each other at a furious pace.

The recording emphasises Kissin's sharp attack and steely precision; I certainly wouldn't have minded a bit more warmth to the sound, a touch of velvet over the gauntlets. Some people I know are going to recoil from this approach, feeling that when they walk around pictures at an exhibition, they don't want the images to leap off the walls and mug them. But then again, some of these same people will probably mention Sviatoslav Richter's famous recording, a benchmark for the Mussorgsky for years - and that certainly reaches out and grabs you by the scruff of the neck.

The Bach-Busoni makes a surprisingly good introduction to the Mussorgsky, with Glinka's Lark singing sadly in between, virtuoso flourishes peppering its song. No warmth, though - that just doesn't seem to be what Kissin does, and it's a problem for me in both of these pieces. But in the end it's all about the Mussorgsky, and that is a truly impressive achievement. Imagine Pollini's uncompromising precision meeting Richter's white-hot inspiration, and you'll get the picture. Sorry, Pictures.

Andrew McGregor - presenter of CD Review on Radio 3 --Jules Willis

Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Brilliant!! 18 May 2002

By ianmalpass@hotmail.com

Format:Audio CD

I saw Evgeny Kissin playing stuff from the C.D live at symphony hall: the reason I purchased the C.D. The performance was extra-ordinary. Genius is an over used word today, seems every three chord wonder attracts the tag. But how the title fits Kissin! His mastery of the instrument kicks belief, and this man isn't just a technique, the musicality is profound, the understanding of the pieces absolute. Nothing, of course, can compare let alone beat the experience of genius live, but this C.D comes as close as it possible. In short, forget five stars, this is a perfect ten!

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Masterful playing 8 Dec 2002

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

I heard some of these pieces live at the Royal Festival Hall, and it was a magnificent recital. This CD is also fist class. Evgeny Kissin plays with total conviction and mastery of the instrument, every 'picture' in the Mussorgsky for example, is brought out with such clarity that it is quite overwhelming. The Glinka/Balakirev is also played with musicality of a very high order. The Bach/Busoni is rather too esoteric for me as a piece, but as a performance Kissin plays with such a tremendous technique to the point that you just marvel at his command of the score, both intellectually and musically. This goes for all the works on the disc. You won't be able to put this CD down!

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Forget all the negatives 4 Jan 2003

By SH_ VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Some people like to hint because Kissin is so technically brilliant that he lacks feeling or emotional maturity - this is the CD that will definitely prove otherwise to even the most sceptical listeners. It's not Brendel; it's not Mitsuko; it is Kissin, their different and equal, playing with a combination of precision and passion that can be light and very powerful where required. The Bach is astonishing and he has converted me to Pictures at an Exhbition in a way that no one ever did before.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Jubilee Offer: Patriot Classics for £2.50

Amazon's Evgeny Kissin Store

Music

Photos

Biography

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Track Listings

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Review

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Start a new discussion

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback