George Szell and Cleveland Orchestra – Grieg – Bizet – Mussorgsky (2001) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Sony Masterworks’ new “Expanded Edition” offers well-known recordings newly remastered using DSD technology, along with “bonus” material extending the playing time of the original LP (not the previous CD edition, if any), all at a very attractive price. The question for most collectors is a simple one: does it sound better? The answer, without reservation, is “Yes”–at least for this present issue, which offers Szell’s magnificent Pictures at an Exhibition, already well known from its Essential Classics incarnation…although Russian music was not an area in which Szell made his reputation, both he and the Cleveland Orchestra are on top form throughout. Sonically the performances feature a more open top, enhanced clarity, and richer bass than any previous edition, making this a truly first class experience on all counts.

Tracklist:

01. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 – I. Morning Mood
02. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 – II. Ase’s Death
03. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 – III. Anitra’s Dance
04. Grieg: Solvejg’s Song (from Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55)
05. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 – V. In the Hall of the Mountain King
06. Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1 – I. Overture
07. Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1 – II. Minuetto
08. Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1 – III. Adagietto
09. Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1 – IV. Carillon
10. Bizet: Farandole (from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2)
11. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Promenade
12. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Gnomus
13. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Promenade
14. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – The Old Castle
15. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Promenade
16. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Tuileries
17. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Bydlo
18. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Promenade
19. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells
20. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
21. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Limoges, the Market Place
22. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Catacombs (Roman Sepulchre)
23. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Con mortuis in lingua mortua
24. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – The Hut on Fowls’ Legs
25. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – The Great Gate at Kiev
26. Mussorgsky: Dawn on the Moskva River from “Khovanshchina”