This is an important collection of real rarities by Mussorgsky. Many of them are manhandled by Rimsky-Korsakov in game re-orchestrations, but there is more than enough of the original to engage the attention. The early Scherzo in B flat must rank as one of Mussorgsky’s least individual pieces, with its Schubertian good humour. In slow passages Abbado tends to inflate matters, but on balance these are fine performances of rare and precious repertory.
