Steve Schwartz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Definitely disagree there.  I know of no Pictures (Ravel orchestration)
>as majestic or as blazing as Szell's, including Gergiev's.

"Majestic," as in "grand" and even slightly "gaudy," is just not what
I hear on my just-purchased SONY recording of Szell's "Pictures." I'd
say he finds "nobility" in the score - but not the pomp that a Gergiev
and some others do.  By the way, I am not comparing Szell to Gergiev's
recording, which I don't know, but to Gergiev's recent LA Phil performance.
Not fair, I know.

On this Szell/Sony disc, the last track is a shimmering "Enchanted Lake"
by Liadov.  I have heard this piece before and found it formless.  Here
Szell's finesse and precision find a body and shape in the piece, and
"enchanted" describes not only the lake but the performance.  There's
also a fine R-K "Capriccio Espagnole" and Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina
prelude, making this a very full and very fine disc at a very low price.

C Mullins
Redondo Beach