Ahhh - Pictures at an Exhibition
Let’s see - I have the ELP version, the orchestral version, the piano version, and the Tomita version (70’s Japanese synthesizer artist).
Just chiming in to join the defence of Scheherazade…
I like it for much the same reason I like Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”–it’s composed of different stories, each of which is represented by its own music (rather like how each painting in “Pictures” has its own song). And, just as the different stories in “Pictures” are tied together by a repeating motif (the “promenade” or walking from one picture to the next), Scheherazade’s stories are all connected by the motif of the solo violin (representing Scheherazade’s voice as she tells the stories).
The music in both pieces varies from one story to the next, and I prefer some passages more than others… but on the whole, I find both compositions to be extremely powerful. Indeed, Scheherazade starts off pretty bombastically, and then the tone changes back and forth throughout. Furthermore, the original piano score to “Pictures” is much more subtle (though still very powerful) than the orchestral version.
And after reading this thread, now I’ve got Scheherazade’s violin stuck in my head. humming and tapping away
I own that album as well the the orchestral and piano arrangments. Wonderful stuff.