There can be no piece of classical music with stiffer competition than Mussorgsky's Picture's at an Exhibition, which has around 300 different performances of the piano version recorded. For that matter, the Rachmaninoff has had plenty of recordings, too. Notwithstanding, here is a recording of both of these masterpieces that compares exceedingly well with the very best. Armstrong is powerful where called for, and exquisitely musical at all times, superbly bringing out the poetry (and painting!) in both of these works. This is a major addition to the recorded Russian piano repertory, and could stand as the only recorded performance of either of these works in your collection.
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