Elgar enigma/ Picture at an exhibition

For Pictures at an Exhibition, you can't go wrong starting with Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on RCA. It's one of the great performances of this work.

For the Enigma Variations, I'd recommend starting with Monteux and the London Symphony Orchestra (RCA, re-released on Decca). Also a highly regarded performance of this piece.
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Good suggestion from Frogman to listen to the the Pictures as
originally written for piano.

But as to needing a Russian orchestra to really get the full
sense of this orchestral work, remember that the orchestral
version most often performed is the orchestration by the
French composer, Maurice Ravel.
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Frogman, great story! Thank you for sharing it with us. I certainly understand what you mean about nuances that are pulled out by a sensitive conductor. The "spiciness" to which you refer is something I would enjoy hearing and will seek out a copy of the Gergiev performance to hear.

Many thanks.

I am, I am! :-)

Good to hear from you, Russ.
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