132 LP / Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Modest Mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition
Bilder einer Ausstellung
Tableaux d’une exposition
Markus Schirmer, piano
Half-Speed Mastered, Side 2 play backwards!
Inspiring Tube Sound
EAN/barcode: 4009850013211
Description
It’s been quite a while since Markus Schirmer visited Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Despite the considerable competition, the recording has received excellent reviews. Schirmer impresses with well-thought-out, succinct and precisely-measured effects, which are shown off to their best advantage on the Fazioli piano in the List Halle in Graz, Austria. In the process, he never lapses into cheap showmanship: he simply conveys the impressions triggered by the pictures themselves.
Actually, the recording should have appeared a while ago on LP. However, the delay has also had its advantages: we can now offer it in TACET’s famous reverse playback, which, with suitable music, offers a greater listening experience than was hitherto possible on vinyl.
4 reviews for 132 LP / Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
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Piano News –
A recording from as early as 2005, Austrian pianist Markus Schirmer’s interpretation of Mussorgsky’s "Pictures at an Exhibition" is now being released by TACET—a label renowned for its grandiose sound engineering—as an LP. TACET has extensive experience in mixing for vinyl, and this LP delivers a true listening experience in two respects. First, there is the pianist’s masterful rendering of this famous cycle. Schirmer brings the character depictions of Mussorgsky’s musical translations of his friend Viktor Hartmann’s paintings (noted in the LP text as Gartmann—[TACET note: this spelling is also valid]) to life with great emphasis. Some listeners might miss the bold, thunderous interpretations often favored by other pianists, but that is not Schirmer’s approach. While he, too, can deliver powerful statements, he is more concerned with the contemplative perspective of the observer gazing at these "Pictures." Even the "Promenades"—the transitional passages connecting the character pieces—are, in his hands, calm, unexaggerated zones, simply depicting the walk between paintings. With tranquility and deliberation, Schirmer shapes the music in a way that creates a completely new listening experience.
The second extraordinary aspect of this LP’s listening experience is its B-side. TACET recognized years ago that, due to the narrowing grooves toward the center of an LP, larger amplitudes become more difficult to press. Their solution? Backwards pressing—the needle starts in the middle and moves outward, allowing for greater volume toward the end of a side. This approach suits this cycle particularly well. Additionally, TACET used the half-speed mastering process, which expands the frequency range. And it works! The clarity and voluminous sound this LP delivers—especially toward the end of the cycle—are astonishing: powerful bass yet crystal-clear highs. Schirmer performs "The Great Gate of Kiev" at the cycle’s close with the same serenity and transparency that matches this sonic image. What emerges is a decidedly un-Russian Mussorgsky—yet one that still possesses emotional depth, offering a fresh, new listening experience. And if you’re going to release an LP, it should always sound at least this good—just like this one from TACET.
Carsten Dürer
Stereoplay –
(…) Pianist Markus Schirmer coaxes from his Fazioli F-278 a dynamic range and orchestral richness that would have suffered in the tighter inner grooves of an LP. Andreas Spreer solved this by simply cutting the second side in reverse, ensuring "The Great Gate of Kiev" fills the outer grooves. A truly magnificent tracking test for any high-end turntable.
Stereo –
(…) This recording has the sonic potential to become a reference standard. (…) An all-around success.
Matthias Böde
Analog 1/2018 –
(...) Andreas Spreer succeeds in capturing the full emotional and musical range—every nuance of warmth and delicacy in the playing, as well as the powerful descents into the depths of the Fazioli—just as pianist Markus Schirmer performs them, with absolute authenticity.
Listening confirms the theory: The acoustic performance on vinyl is nothing short of a revelation. (...)
Thomas Senft