Scriabin: Piano Sonatas

On this CD:

1. Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

2. Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor ("Sonata-Fantasy"), Op. 19
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

3. Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor ("Etats d'âme"), Op. 23
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

4. Piano Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, Op. 30
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

5. Piano Sonata No. 5 in F sharp major ("The Poem of Ecstasy"), Op. 53
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

6. Piano Sonata No. 6 in G major, Op. 62
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

7. Piano Sonata No. 7 in F sharp major ("White Mass"), Op. 64
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

8. Piano Sonata No. 8 in A major, Op. 66
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

9. Piano Sonata No. 9 in F major ("Black Mass"), Op. 68
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

10. Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major ("Trill"), Op. 70
Composed by Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin
Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

Tracks:

Allegro Non Fuoco
Andante
Presto
Funebre
Andante
Presto
Drammatico
Allegretto
Andante
Presto Con Fuoco
Andante
Prestissimo Volando
Sonata No.5, Op.53

Tracks:

Sonata No.6, Op.62
Sonata No.7, Op.64 'White Mass'
Sonata No.8, Op.66
Sonata No.9, Op.68 'Black Mass'
Sonata No.10, Op.70

Customer Reviews:

Taub's Scriabin Sonatas.......2006-05-31

Robert Taub gives rock solid performances of the Scriabin sonatas. He is loud when he should be, soft when he should be, fast when he should be, and slow when he should be. As a set, Taub offers one of the best next to Hamelin's set of Scriabin sonatas. Taub's set is a very even one; he is more successful though on the second disc, sonatas 6-10, than on the first disc, 1-5. For these, I would prefer the following: Hamelin (1), Richter (2), Gilels (3), Hamelin (4), and Horowitz/Hamelin (5).

The best set overall of the complete Scriabin sonatas.......2006-04-08

Regrettably, the posthumous sonatas are not included and not every performance is outstanding, but this is the best set overall. Not only does it have great sound quality (excepting the 2nd sonata where the treble notes are hard to hear), but it has some truly outstanding performances, particularly #5 and #10. #3, #4, and #6 are also particularly good. Its weaknesses are the 7th and 8th sonatas. The second movement of the second sonata is a bit awkward, too. Otherwise, this is a very nice collection. Scriabin fans should supplement it with other recordings, though.

I have the following complete sets: Laredo, Taub, Ashkenazy, Hamelin, Mikhailov, Szidon, Ponti, and Ogdon. I have two discs of Glemser and Horowitz, and one disc of: Sofronitsky, Pletnev, Kocyan, Bogdonov, Florentino, Coombs, Trpceski, and Richter.

Here is my list of suggested performances of the sonatas, taken from those I've heard. They are ranked from left to right:

G#m posthumous: Hamelin.

Ebm posthumous: Glemser.

No. 1: Kocyan, then Ashkenazy, then Taub. Kocyan tells a story. Ashkenazy is passionate. Taub is darker.

No. 2: Kocyan, then Glemser or Sofronitsky, then Ashkenazy. Kocyan's fluidity takes it, but Sofronitsky is artistic. Glemser's first movement is beautiful.

No. 3: Laredo or Horowitz. Then Glemser or Taub. Then Ashkenazy or Sofronitsky.

No. 4: Taub or Sofronitsky. The latter has more artistry, the former a more coherent and appropriate tone.

No. 5: Horowitz or Taub. The former has electric genius, the latter has wonderful refinement. Hamelin's is excellent (definitely his best Scriabin performance). I've heard that Richter's is great, but I don't have it.

No. 6: Richter (genius but bad sound quality), then Taub. Hamelin's is athletic and precise, although not mysterious.

No. 7: Glemser, then Laredo. The former brings out all the complexity with precision, the latter is sharp and clear. I have not heard Richter's.

No. 8: Ashkenazy. Then Szidon or Laredo. I've read that Sofronitsky's is good, but I don't have it.

No. 9: Sofronitsky, then Horowitz (all versions), then Glemser, then Szidon and Taub.

No. 10: Horowitz or Taub. Same contrast of styles between the pianists as the fifth sonata. Like the fifth, this is Taub's other brilliant performance.

Other pieces:

Fantasy in B minor: Glemser
Vers la flamme: Sofronitsky or Horowitz, then Laredo.
Piano concerto: Ugorski/Boulez, then Ashkenazy/Maazel. Both are excellent, but I give the edge to Ugorski.
Poem of Ecstasy: Maazel
Prometheus: Ashkenazy/Maazel

Average customer rating:

Good but not great
Best recordings I've ever heard of Scriabin's 11th Opus
Excellent Preludes
Chiseled in Granite
Passionate, committed playing

Scriabin: 24 Preludes/Sonatas 4 & 10

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000631Z
Release Date: 2002-12-23

Tracks:

24 Prlds, Op.11: Part I: No.1 in C
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part I: No.2 in a
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part I: No.3 in G
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part I: No.4 in e
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part I: No.5 in D
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part I: No.6 in b
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part II: No.7 in A
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part II: No.8 in f#
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part II: No.9 in E
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part II: No.10 in c#
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part II: No.11 in B
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part II: No.12 in g#
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part III: No.13 in G flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part III: No.14 in e flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part III: No.15 in D flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part III: No.16 in b flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part III: No.17 in A flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part III: No.18 in f
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part IV: No.19 in E flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part IV: No.20 in c
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part IV: No.21 in B flat
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part IV: No.22 in g
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part IV: No.23 in F
24 Prlds, Op.11: Part IV: No.24 in d
Son No.4 in f#, Op.30: I. Andante
Son No.4 in f#, Op.30: II. Prestissimo volando
Son No.10, Op.70
Prld in a, Op.51 No.2
Prld in F, Op.49 No.2
Reverie, Op.49 No.3
3 Morceaux, Op.45: I. Feuillet d'album
3 Morceaux, Op.45: II. Poeme fantastique
3 Morceaux, Op.45: III. Prelude
Poeme languide, Op.52 No.3
Danse languide, Op.51 No.4
2 Morceaux, Op.57: I. Desir
2 Morceaux, Op.57: II. Caresse dansee

Customer Reviews:

Good but not great.......2007-04-29

I don't actually own this album, but I listened to all the free samples. The preludes were very capably and artistically performed, but I can't give this five stars because the Sonata #4, one of my absolute Scriabins, is not handled very well at all. My Steuerman recording is miles ahead of this one; Pletnev's second movement is neither "prestissimmo" nor "volando", and he takes too many liberties that I just don't think Scriabin would have approved of. Still good preludes, though.

Best recordings I've ever heard of Scriabin's 11th Opus.......2006-03-13

This is music, how can I describe it properly with words?

Pletnev's playing is clean, passionate, and clear.

Get this and hear it for yourself.

Excellent Preludes.......2006-01-22

The Preludes are beautiful. It is a delight to listen striaght through the whole set, this is no academic compilation. The sound is perfectly clear and spacious to match these enigmatic pieces. These are now my favorite Scriabin miniatures (I also have the Pizarro Mazurkas and Lane Etudes and both are fabulous but this is now my favorite).

Ashkenazy's version of the 4th Sonata is certainly better and I'm not sure about the 10th which I find a bit hard to digest. Pletnev doesn't seem to have the right pace in comparison. He doesn't seem to flow as gracefully and powerfully.

The later pieces are less approachable but are full of nuance and nice chromatic harmonies. These were short experiments for his larger works, and as such, the more inaccessible harmonic elements come off as interesting and not grating.

Many fault his early pieces as too influenced by Chopin. Maybe that is true, but I love Chopin and Scriabin is incorporating his own harmonic world on that foundation.

Finally - people pay too much attention to Scriabin's mental state. Just listen to his music. It's beautiful.

Chiseled in Granite.......2005-11-22

Pletnev is not normally a name one associates with Scriabin. His icey approach hardly seems to gel with a composer who spent much of his life obsessed with fire. That being said, this disc has proven to be absolute revelation.

A long time devotee of Sofronitsky's op.11 (complete but next to impossible to find these days) I was pleasantly surprised at how well Pletnev's crystalline approach encompasses the vast array of complex moods and emotions Scriabin approaches.

It is comparatively rare to find a complete recording of op.11 and Pletnev tackles the work very much as a whole, much in the manner of modern performance practice of the Chopin preludes. Often played as individual miniatures or in small groups, Pletnev presents a musical argument in which each short piece has been considered and plays a vital part in the overall structure of the work. Leading us on a musical journey traversing a broad pallet of moods, Pletnev convinces us that everything has a place with a consistency of playing where each miniature is as perfect as the next. To pick out individual examples would be contrary to the way the work is presented, as one large scale piece rather than just a series of miniatures.

Pletnev does for op.11 what Pollini does for the Chopin etudes. They are chiseled in granite, instilled with a classical beauty reminiscentt of grand architecture. There is an authorities clarity that cuts through much of the messy, self indulgent playing often found in the Scriabin of lesser pianists. You could take dictation from this recording. That being said, this is in no way a dusty academic reading but a profoundly moving recording that revels in its perfection and wide array of colours. (Note especially here that this is a live recording!)

Although it may not be to the taste of fans of a more phantasmagorical approach to this most eccentric of composers, I unreservedly recommend this recording of the preludes as the definitive modern recording of the complete set. Although some may find better "Scriabin playing" in the eccentric individual preludes of Horowitz, it really is like comparing apples and oranges.

The later works on the disc too are well performed, especially the minatures which have a introverted vibrancy to them. The Sonatas are better recorded elsewhere and require a more ideomatic approach to really bring out the tension and phantasmorga so important for late Scriabin. (Get the Horowitz 10th)

In short, as a huge fan of the great Scriabinists (Horowitz, Sofronitsky etc) this disc presents a very unique argument for Scriabin that proves to be a real revelation. From the very first prelude one really gets the impression that this recording is a refreshing change. Buy this disc. you will not be disappointed.

Passionate, committed playing.......2002-01-16

I agree with the previous reviewer's comments about this recording. This is highly refined playing and Pletnev has the full measure of sensitivity that these pieces require. Tonal control and control of line and rubato are beautifully handled. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

scriabin is not chopin.
Solid, but outclassed
An over-rated set
ABSOLUTELY THE FINEST COMPLETE SCRIABIN SONATA CYCLE.

Scriabin: Complete Piano Sonatas

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001ZWGII
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Customer Reviews:

scriabin is not chopin........2006-09-17

scriabin is not chopin. yes, his first sonata definitely shows some influence, architecture-wise. but wasn't mahler influenced by beethoven? beethoven by mozart? mozart by bach? bach by buxtehude? and yet we hear completely different tones of music.
so it comes to stand that we should definitely not expect something chopinesque. scriabin is scriabin - the insane narcissist who believed that his music will bring apocalypse... the madman virtuouso with small hands.
people criticize szidon for banging on the keys. for me, his playing is not banging but thundering - and thundering is what scriabin needs at places.
at delicate passages, szidon conveys the ominous portent characteristic of scriabin. beautiful yes - but scriabin's sonatas are characteristically dark and brooding. even the white mass is less blissful than, say, his mazurkas (a much earlier set of compositions).
ashkenazy, while immaculate as always tone-wise, does not capture the spirit. laredo plays scriabin like chopin. sofronitsky is my first choice, but he didn't record the complete sonatas (but you must get his vista vera cd's!!) i'd say taub's set is also a superb set. and hamelin's as well (he never misses a mark in any of his sets, by the way. truly a superb performer). but szidon's scriabin is, say, more apocalyptic. and apocalyptic scriabin was.

Solid, but outclassed.......2006-04-08

I have quite a few sets of the Scriabin sonatas, and I've heard a number of recordings from pianists who didn't record the complete cycle. Here are my suggestions:

G# minor post. - Hamelin
Eb minor post. - Glemser or Coombs
1st - Kocyan and Ashkenazy
2nd - Koycan and Glemser
3rd - Laredo and Horowitz. Also Taub and Sofronitsky
4th - Taub, Sofronitsky
5th - Horowitz, Taub, Hamelin
6th - Richter, Taub
7th - Glemser, Laredo
8th - Ashkenazy, Szidon or Laredo
9th - Sofronitsky, Horowitz, Glemser
10th - Horowitz, Taub

Avoid: Ogdon and Ponti.

Szidon's set is solid generally, but if I were to get only one sonata set, I'd get Taub's and supplement it with disc 1 of Glemser's Scriabin sonatas.

An over-rated set.......2006-02-17

I have had these records for many years. I bought them because, in the 90s, they were recommended as the best available. Being unfamiliar with Scriabin's music, I hoped I would get to appreciate that composer. I never did, until recently I thought maybe it was the interpretation that did not do justice to them.

How right I was! Browsing through a few clips on Amazon, I came across Ruth Laredo. I was captivated. Here the important notes came to the fore, and the accompanying figures receded. I still wonder that I could have ever tolerated Szidon's "herds of charging elephants", which muddied the waters whenever the music became turbulent or passionate. Laredo, by contrast, gives us a flowing and beautiful line, always clarifying and not obscuring the composer's intent.

Buy this set only if you're a "completist": it contains some early work missing from the Laredo set and this - to be fair -Szidon plays well enough

Stephen Fox (UK)

ABSOLUTELY THE FINEST COMPLETE SCRIABIN SONATA CYCLE........2005-08-08

Since Glenn Gould unfortunately did not record for posterity Scriabin's Sonatas Nos. 6-10, (he did record the very best realization of No. 5), Szidon's set here is absolutely the finest cycle available.

Recorded in the 1970s, DGG has here re-released Szidon's performances with crystal clarity in a very inexpensive 3 disc set: great bargan! Great Art!!

There are a couple of cycles available out there; but you can believe: this is the best.

Average customer rating:

terrible.
Better sound and less pounding than Ashkenazy
Clean playing, but somewhat musically inept
Technically amazing, but not quite "Magical"
Listen to it properly!

Scriabin: The Complete Piano Sonatas
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin , and Marc-Andre Hamelin
Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000300U
Release Date: 1996-04-10

Tracks:

The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op 6: Allegro con fuocoso
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op 6: crochet = 40
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op 6: Presto
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op 6: Funebre
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 2 (Sonata-Fantasy) in G sharp minor, Op 19: Andante
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 2 (Sonata-Fantasy) in G sharp minor, Op 19: Presto
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 3 in F sharp minor, Op 23: Drammatico
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 3 in F sharp minor, Op 23: Allegretto
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 3 in F sharp minor, Op 23: Andante
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 3 in F sharp minor, Op 23: Presto con fuoco
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Fantaisie, Op 28
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 4 in F sharp major, Op 30: Andante
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 4 in F sharp major, Op 30: Prestissimo volando

Tracks:

The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 5, Op 53: Allegro. Impetuoso. Con stravaganza. - Languid - Presto con allegrezza
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 6, Op 62: Modere
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 7 'Messe Blanche', Op 64: Allegro
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 8, Op 66: Lento - Allegro agitato
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 9 'Messe Noire', Op 68: Moderato quasi andante
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonata No 10, Op 70: Moderato - Allegro
The Complete Piano Sonatas: Sonate-Fantaisie in G sharp minor, Op posth

Amazon.com

Canadian pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin is one of the most fascinating and rewarding artists working today. It's fashionable in classical music circles to complain about the fact that all of the great artists are dead, and that no one matches the achievements of generations past. This is nonsense, and Hamelin offers convincing proof. He is without a doubt one of the two or three most technically accomplished players alive. But more than that, he's so thoroughly musical that more often than not you aren't even conscious of his frequently insane virtuosity. Every single one of his records is worth owning, and this complete set of Scriabin sonatas in no exception. If you're a piano fan, you must hear it. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

terrible........2006-11-11

okay i know that low ratings usually get "not helpful" votes, but i must say what i must say.

a pianist is not a person with fast hands. a pianist is an artist. a pianist must convey a sense of drama, and in the case of scriabin's music, a sense of fiery pathos.

in this aspect, hamelin is terrible. i never liked his playing.. it has this mannered sheen to it.
his medtner is also terrible.. but tozer's and demidenko's medtner sonatas were just so horrendous that i have to resort to hamelin.
his "the people united will never be defeated" is also horrible. compared to drury who manages to make every variation sound like a ,well, a VARIATION, hamelin just pounds the right keys and somehow manages to sound cool but NEVER, EVER conveys that the variations are variations on the theme.

his scriabin is similarly terrible. take his first sonata for instance. where's the pathos?? where's the anguish? you have fast hands zipping through notes... listen to kocyan, szidon, or taub and you'll know what i mean.
the fourth sonata, perhaps one of scriabin's most lyrical, sounds a little better. but this is only because the fourth sonata is by nature a slow piece that requires sheen. hamelin got lucky.
the latter sonatas are just completely terrible. hamelin makes them sound like boulez or something.

i agree with the review below who says that the szidon set is the best out there. and it is now available, as part of the dg trio set.

ladies and gentlemen, please, technique is not everything. and hamelin just proves it over, and over again.

Better sound and less pounding than Ashkenazy.......2006-04-29

I have bought several Hamelin CDs recently - this one, Liszt and the Composer Pianists. All are benchmarks for technique. Perhaps the ease with which he navigates the obstacles is the problem, I just don't get the feeling that his heart is in it. And I'm tired of hearing his recurring mantra about how virtuosity is artistry in itself. I don't agree. While I'm happy to hear how he avoids the pounding that Ashkenazy inflicts on Scriabin, he could use more of Vladimir's emotion. Perhaps I just don't "get along" with his style well enough. I think he's trying too hard to be different. If you want to hear breathtaking technical performance and excellent recorded sound, then by all means, this is a great choice.

Clean playing, but somewhat musically inept.......2006-04-08

Hamelin is has superb technical skills, but he doesn't play most of Scriabin's music better than the best Scriabin interpreters I've heard. Sofronitsky. Horowitz. Taub. Glemser. Ashkenazy. Laredo. Richter. Some of the problems are: the anticlimactically slow tempo at the end of the 7th sonata, the 1st movement of the 1st sonata is played too quickly, and most of the pieces just aren't played with any fire. As another reviewer mentioned, the 9th sonata is particularly bland. Only the 5th sonata and the G# minor posthumous sonata are exceptional. (I say the G# minor is exceptional because the other performances I've heard aren't very good.) The sixth is played with unusual precision and atheleticism, but where's the mystery?

Here's a breakdown for my suggested recordings of the sonatas, based on those I've heard:

G#m posthumous: Hamelin.

Ebm posthumous: Glemser.

No. 1: Kocyan, then Ashkenazy, then Taub. Kocyan tells a story. Ashkenazy is passionate. Taub is darker.

No. 2: Kocyan, then Glemser or Sofronitsky, then Ashkenazy. Kocyan's fluidity takes it, but Sofronitsky is artistic. Glemser's first movement is beautiful.

No. 3: Laredo or Horowitz. Then Glemser or Taub. Then Ashkenazy or Sofronitsky.

No. 4: Taub or Sofronitsky. The latter has more artistry, the former a more coherent and appropriate tone.

No. 5: Horowitz or Taub. The former has electric genius, the latter has wonderful refinement. Hamelin's is excellent (definitely his best Scriabin performance). I've heard that Richter's is great, but I don't have it.

No. 6: Richter (genius but bad sound quality), then Taub. Hamelin's is excellent and lacking simultaneously.

No. 7: Glemser, then Laredo. The former brings out all the complexity with precision, the latter is sharp and clear. I have not heard Richter's.

No. 8: Ashkenazy. Then Szidon or Laredo. I've read that Sofronitsky's is good, but I don't have it.

No. 9: Sofronitsky, then Horowitz (all versions), then Glemser, then Szidon and Taub.

No. 10: Horowitz or Taub. Same contrast of styles between the pianists as the fifth sonata. Like the fifth, this is Taub's other brilliant performance.

Other pieces:

Fantasy in B minor: Glemser
Vers la flamme: Sofronitsky or Horowitz, then Laredo.
Piano concerto: Ugorski/Boulez, then Ashkenazy/Maazel. Both are excellent, but I give the edge to Ugorski.
Poem of Ecstasy: Maazel
Prometheus: Ashkenazy/Maazel

Technically amazing, but not quite "Magical".......2006-02-03

Perhaps I am not the best to judge. I am only 16, and I have not heard much by Scriabin. However, I have a classical music collection of aver 12 hundred songs, so I have a basic idea of how to interperate this.

The first 5 Sonatas and the Fantasie (Op. 28) are incredible. These sonatas require a mix of both technical perfection (I have seen the scores) and good interpretation. However, I believe that these first pieces are mainly based on the pianism aspect, as the pieces are brought to life by the melody notes within the chords and scales, which an average pianist cannot do. Sonata Number 5 is absolutely stunning in its Beauty, and Sonata Number 1 has a harsh sound to it which, acording to the inside of the cover, reflect well what Scriabin was trying to express.

However, the last sonatas on the disc don't quite do it for me. It is not the extreme dissonance that bothers me, it is that it is played with no expression. When I hear the pieces, Hamelin seems like he is almost bored while playing them, especially Number 9 which, played by Horowitz, I love. Sure, his pianism is astounding. I have never heard anyone play the notes as perfectly as he does, but it certainly lacks emotion.

So I give this 4 out of 5 stars for the first 5 Sonatas and the amazing playing, but if you are looking for good interpretations of the later ones, this may not be the best choice.

Listen to it properly!.......2006-01-01

Previous reviewers have pointed out that Hamelin plays these pieces somewhat conservatively. Far from being the weakness I think this is the greatest strenth of this set. What Hamelin does is to render the sound and structure very clearly and openly. I think this does the sonatas far more justice than playing them as if they were the whims of a madman. All the sonatas are very tightly (and classically) structured, Scriabin was innovative and iconoclastic harmonically, but the sonatas adhere closely to traditional sonata form.

The trouble with performers like Szidon or Horowitz is the sheer ego of their performances. In Horowitz's case, this exhibits itself as a messy exuberance that often results in bizarre distortions that simply draw attention to the fact you are listing to VLADIMIR HOROWITZ - PIANO GENIUS. Which doesn't help to gain a greater understanding of Scriabin's music.

Szidon's problem is a little more serious, he simply doesn't have the technique to cope with these demanding pieces. He blurs great portions and his rhythms are slapdash and self-conscious. It really is Scriabin playing at its worst - cultivating a erroneous mythology about Scriabin that he was some kind of wacky mystic, whose music you don't really need to perform carefully because it exists in its own little world and the rules of musicianship dont apply.

Marc-Andre Hamelin, who has publically said that he wont perform or record pieces about which he feels he has nothing new to say, does Scriabin the greatest service. By taking him seriously as a musician and playing his works with an accuracy and clarity woefully lacking in most Scriabin interpretations.

As a result of this approach, Hamelin reveals in a much more profound way the mystery and wonder of Scriabin's later sonatas. With miraculous pedalling and touch, he creates extraordinary sounds, rich in colour and drama. He evokes like no other pianist Scriabin's singular ability to create music not of this earth

Average customer rating:

Solid, but not superb like his first disc
Unbelievable Music Making!

Scriabin: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000058UU3
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Son No.3 in f#, Op.23: Drammatico
Son No.3 in f#, Op.23: Allegretto
Son No.3 in f#, Op.23: Andante
Son No.3 in f#, Op.23: Presto Con Fuoco
Son No.10, Op.70: Moderato - Allegro
Son in e flat: (Allegro Appassionato)
Son in e flat: (Andantino)
Son in e flat: (Presto)
Poeme-Nocturne, Op.61
Vers La Flamme, Op.72

Customer Reviews:

Solid, but not superb like his first disc.......2006-04-08

Glemser's volume 1 is a must-buy disc, but this a tad weaker. Despite this, his performance of the youthful unpublished Eb minor sonata is the best of the four I've heard. The third sonata is played very well, eclipsed only by Ruth Laredo and Vladimir Horowitz. It is tied with Robert Taub and Vladimir Sofronitsky. The tenth is a bit bland here. For that piece, I suggest Robert Taub and Vladimir Horowitz. Vers la flamme is better with Sofronitsky and Horowitz. Glemser is an excellent Scriabin interpreter, but if you're only going to get one of his discs, stick with the first.

Unbelievable Music Making!.......2006-02-27

Glemser once again proves himself at the forefront of Scriabin interpreters. I've listened to many Scriabin recordings and this one is at the top. The Scriabin sonatas are some of the most difficult in the piano repertoire and Glemser is suited to the task. The Sonata #3 is played beautifully, but the highlight of this CD really is the Sonata #10 (the trill sonata) which is cosmic, profound music. Scriabin called this sonata his "Insect Sonata" ... insects being "divine because they are kissed by the sun" -- you can hear their wings beating, buzzing, and almost see the sun glittering. This is wonderful music, exciting, perhaps the best of all Scriabin's works. This disc also includes the famous Vers La Flamme, Scriabin's musical depiction of a dream he had about the end of the world... once again this is fantastic music. The audio engineering is superior as well -- the grand piano sound is excellent and it was digitally recorded in the 90's. It's the way Scriabin should sound.

Average customer rating:

Finally, a great performance of the 7th sonata
Virtuouso Performance
No mud, plenty of feeling, but...a few quibbles
I am limited to 5 stars
Another Naxos bargain

Scriabin: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Scriabin: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2
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Scriabin: 10 Piano Sonatas

ASIN: B00000145B
Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

Sonata No. 2 In G Sharp Minor, Op. 19: Andante
Sonata No. 2 In G Sharp Minor, Op. 19: Presto
Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Sonata No. 6, Op. 62
Sonata No. 7, Op. 64 (White Mass)
Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 (Black Mass)
Fantasy In B Minor, Op. 28

Customer Reviews:

Finally, a great performance of the 7th sonata.......2006-04-08

Despite producing some truly great performances of other sonatas, pianists routinely butcher the 7th. I won't name names. Glemser, though, has the technical skill and musical sensibility necessary to play the piece well, a piece that probably it up near the top of the "most difficult piano sonatas" list. Horowitz didn't play it. Neither did Sofronitsky.

The fantasy in B minor is prettier than Hamelin's, too. The first movement of the 2nd sonata is played superbly. The sound quality of the recording is top-notch. My choices for the 5th sonata are Robert Taub and Vladimir Horowitz with Hamelin as runner-up. For the 6th, I love Richter's but hate the sound quality, and Taub's has more character than Glemser's. The 9th is owned by Sofronitsky and Horowitz, but Glemser does a fine job.

This is in my top 5 "best Scriabin CDs" list.

Virtuouso Performance.......2006-02-27

I've listened to many recordings of Scriabin music and this one ranks up there with the best. Glemser's interpretations are lyrical, technically excellent and exciting. His playing of Sonatas #2 and #5 especially are unforgettable. Add to this the superior sound of the piano (is it a Steinway?), audio engineering and price, this is a must-buy for all Scriabin lovers.

No mud, plenty of feeling, but...a few quibbles.......2004-04-18

I do like Bernd Glemser's interpretation of these wonderful sonatas by Russian composer Scriabin. Scriabin is more impressionistic, melodic but also improvisational, and it takes a clear mind to convey what often sounds like broken thought, incomplete sentences in a real musical conversation with oneself. Glemser shows his clarity of thought almost throughout.

Glemser should be lauded for recording the rarely-played and simply GORGEOUS Fantasie, included on this CD. So it's with a heavy heart that I have to quibble with parts of his interpretation. In the hunt for clarity in this massive work that can sometimes get lost in towering sonorities and twisting passages of broken rhythm, Glemser takes a sudden tack into the staccato in the middle of the Fantasie, almost, it seems, getting lost amongst the notes and trying to climb out of a morass. It was rather jarring. Even though he soars at the Fortissimo return of the major theme near the end, it's not enough to sway me to his way of interpretation. Otherwise, an estimable CD and certainly a worthy interpretation of the works of this difficult but splendid music.

I am limited to 5 stars.......2004-04-17

If you love Scriabin, get this recording (and also No 2 with the balance of the sonatas). Glemser has it all: absolute control (his balance between right and left hands is astounding), musicianship of the highest order and technique to match (actually to throw away) but which he does not abuse. He uses exactly what is needed to project this wonderful music in all its magic and mysterious beauty. He understands this music like no other.. This is very difficult music to play easily muddled by a lesser pianist (never mind hitting the notes), but you will no detect any straining in the playing. Forget Sofronitski. Ruth Laredo at her peak might have given competition. The sound is rich and detailed and cannot be faulted. The CD notes do not give credit to the superb instrument, which sounds like a Hamburg Steinway.

Another Naxos bargain.......2001-10-17

I agree with the previous reviewer, these are great performances of great pieces, for a laughable price. All the earlier works, Sonata no. 2, no. 5 (his most frequently recorded), plus the Fantasy in B, display Scriabin's usual refined brilliance, and some Chopin influences in the Fantasy's case. The Sonata 2 must surely be as close to a perfect romatic sonata as any composer has come, with the moonlight in the first movement and the turbulent sea in the second. Sonata 5 evokes some of the same moods as the 2nd with further integration of Scriabin's unique harmonic language. As for the later sonatas, 6, 7, and 9, they seem well written but are a little too heavily steeped in Scriabin's "mystic chord" harmonies for my preference, they may be an acquired taste. However, they are still worth listening to, with the almost jazz-like qualities of the 7th. At any rate, the performances are all very good. You can escape to another world with this CD!

Scriabin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 6 & 8; Four Pieces, Op. 51

Average customer rating:

Scriabin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 6 & 8; Four Pieces, Op. 51

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E2Y3
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Average customer rating:

An absolute bargin
Uneven, but solid overall
Only if you have insomnia
Engineer's fault- 80% Ashkenazy's - 20%
Five-star Scriabin set

Scriabin: The Piano Sonatas

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Complete Piano Works of Scriabin

ASIN: B0000041LG
Release Date: 1997-08-26

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op. 6: Allegro con fuoco
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op. 6: [Adagio]
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op. 6: Presto
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, op. 6: Funebre
Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor, op. 19 'Sonata-fantasy': Andant
Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor, op. 19 'Sonata-fantasy': Presto
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, op. 23: Drammatico
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, op. 23: Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, op. 23: Andante
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, op. 23: Presto con fuoco
Piano Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, op. 30: Andante
Piano Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, op. 30: Prestissimo volando
Quatre Morceaux, op. 56
Deux Danses, op. 72
Deux Poemes, op. 32

Tracks:

Piano Sonate No. 5, op. 53
Piano Sonate No. 6, op. 62
Piano Sonate No. 7, op. 64
Piano Sonate No. 8, op. 66
Piano Sonate No. 9, op. 68
Piano Sonate No. 10, op. 70
Quatre Morceaux, op. 51

Customer Reviews:

An absolute bargin.......2007-04-14

These CDs have become one of my favorite recordings. Whether Ashkenazy is playing Rachmaninoff Preludes or Chopin, for my money, he consistently produces a direct, sensitive and non-pretentious approach to the music and the composer. What I like about his interpretation of the Scriabin Sonatas is that he plays Scriabin like a true modernist. No wonder Bill Evans, the late, great, jazz pianist, practiced Scriabin at home between club dates--the sonatas are filled with modern, lyrical beauty.

Uneven, but solid overall.......2006-04-11

I have the following complete sets: Laredo, Taub, Ashkenazy, Hamelin, Mikhailov, Szidon, Ponti, and Ogdon. I have two discs of Glemser and Horowitz, and one disc of: Sofronitsky, Pletnev, Kocyan, Bogdonov, Florentino, Coombs, Trpceski, and Richter.

Here is my list of suggested performances of the sonatas, taken from those I've heard. They are ranked from left to right:

G#m posthumous: Hamelin. Solid and very clean, but a bit dry.

Ebm posthumous: Glemser. The performance is solid, but doesn't seem ideal.

No. 1: Kocyan, then Ashkenazy, then Taub. Kocyan tells a story. Ashkenazy is passionate. Taub is darker.

No. 2: Kocyan, then Glemser or Sofronitsky, then Ashkenazy. Kocyan's fluidity takes it, but Sofronitsky is artistic. Glemser's first movement is beautiful.

No. 3: Laredo or Horowitz. Then Glemser or Taub. Then Ashkenazy or Sofronitsky.

No. 4: Taub or Sofronitsky. The latter has more artistry, the former a more coherent and appropriate tone.

No. 5: Horowitz or Taub. The former has electric genius, the latter has wonderful refinement. Hamelin's is excellent (his best Scriabin performance). I've heard that Richter's is great, but I don't have it.

No. 6: Richter (genius but bad sound quality), then Taub. Hamelin's is athletic and precise, although not mysterious.

No. 7: Glemser, then Laredo. The former brings out all the complexity with precision, the latter is sharp and clear. I have not heard Richter's.

No. 8: Ashkenazy. Then Szidon or Laredo. I've read that Sofronitsky's is good, but I don't have it.

No. 9: Sofronitsky, then Horowitz (all versions), then Glemser, then Szidon and Taub.

No. 10: Horowitz or Taub. Same contrast of styles between the pianists as the fifth sonata. Like the fifth, this is Taub's other brilliant performance.

Other pieces:

Fantasy in B minor: Glemser
Vers la flamme: Sofronitsky or Horowitz, then Laredo.
Piano concerto: Ugorski/Boulez, then Ashkenazy/Maazel. Both are excellent, but I give the edge to Ugorski.
Poem of Ecstasy: Maazel
Prometheus: Ashkenazy/Maazel

This set is solid in general and has the best performance of the eighth sonata (and nearly the best performance of the first) though the 7th and 10th sonatas are particularly problematic. I think the edge goes to Taub for a complete set, although one would do well to supplement it with other recordings. Avoid Ogdon and Ponti. Mikhailov plays well, but none of his sonatas rise toward the top.

I have to totally disagree with the reviewer who said Ashkenazy's performance of the 2nd Prokofiev concerto is bad. To me, the first movement is one of the very best performances I've heard.

Only if you have insomnia.......2006-04-03

Ashkenazy ruins everything he touches. As in the case of his recording of Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto, these perfomances are soooo sloooooow - totally tired and lifeless. But Scriabin's sonatas are anything but boring! I much prefer Micheal Ponti's VOX CDs. (Yes, the sound on them is horrible, but the performances are awesome!)

Engineer's fault- 80% Ashkenazy's - 20%.......2005-04-26

First of all, I would like to say I am a great Ashkenazy fan; I greatly enjoy his performances of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and , actually, almost of all composers with the exception of Scriabin.

Now this CD, though it's priced relatively low, I wouldn't recommend it heartily. The sound of the piano is consistenly unbearably bangy in the lower register, too dry, too cold. And this kind of sound is fatal especially when one wants to enjoy the subtle, mystical music of Scriabin.

However, to make matters worse, Ashkenazy here doensn't give the most convincing performances either. The second movement of second sonata lacks general shaping (perhaps, this can also be credited to the dry sound of the recordings) And I greatly dislike his second movement of the fourth, in which he starts at a quasi-presto tempo but near the end slows down painfully.

However, with the fifth sonata, Ashkenazy delivers a brillant performance, one that I would easily rank over Richter's. Unfortunately though, the brilliant performance is greatly marred again by the horrible strident sound. What was the engineer thinking?

The late sonatas are well-performed, though not quite intense as the widely-acclaimed performances by Richter.

In conclusion, I almost feel pity for Ashkenazy that these not-so-great-but-still-well-performed recordings were exacerbated by some atrocious engineering. However, I still believe Ashkenazy is better at his usual repertoire, as he, an almost cold-heartedly incisive performer (especially as he got older), fairs better with likes of Beethoven.

Five-star Scriabin set.......2005-04-26

Scriabin is one of those composers who you love or hate. The eagerness with which he takes simple ideas, the interval of a fourth for example, and uses them to write not only entire pieces, but entire groups of pieces, is reminiscient of Beethoven and Brahms - but his harmonic concepts grow out of late works by Liszt, such as the Mephisto Waltzes, and from Wagner's masterful brand of chromaticism and contrapuntal expertise. (The "Tristan Chord" appears a lot in Scriabin.) His professed love of Chopin inspired him to write in Chopinesque forms, though his obsession with certain harmonies prevented his music from having the same level of freedom and creativity.

Ashkenazy's readings of this music suffer a little bit from the usual tinny Decca sound. He has a nice, full tone, and he is capable of polishing each note to an almost disturbing degree, but Decca has simply never been very good at recording the piano. His technique is also enormous, and the unflinching difficulties of this music seem to pose no problem to him.

Typically for Ashkenazy, this is a thoroughly professional effort with appropriate speed, mood, and color throughout. Hardly anyone can top him in terms of pure accuracy and faithfulness. If it wasn't for the fact that some of the great virtuosos on record, notably Richter, have played many of these sonatas with enormous zest and fire while attaining the same level of accuracy, this would be the best available CD; as it is, no complete set can match it, so it remains a strong recommendation.

Average customer rating:

Lean and mean Scriabin ... you know you like it!
Save your weekly three BigMac's and buy this CD set instead! top recommendation. cheap, cheap, cheap!!! :D
Bleah
Sloppy, bombastic, and with poor sound quality
Idiomatic and expressive Scriabin

Scriabin: Complete Sonatas
Michael Ponti , and Scriabin
Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00007J4SK
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Tracks:

Sonata-Fantasy In G-Sharp Minor Op. Posth.
Allegro Appassionato
Andante
Presto
Allegro Con Fuocoso
Presto
Funebre
Andante
Presto
Drammatico
Allegretto
Andante
Presto Con Fuoco
Alegro. Impetuoso. Con Stravaganza - Languido - Presto Con Allegrez

Tracks:

Andante
Prestissimo Volando
Modere
Allegro
No. 1: Allegro Fantastico
No. 2: Allegretto
No. 3: Molto Vivace
Lento - Allegro Agitato
Moderato Quasi Andante
Moderato - Allegro
Poeme No. 1
Poeme No. 2
Vers La Flamme Op.72
No. 1: Guirlandes
No. 2: Flammes Sombres
No. 1: Douloureux Dechirant
No. 2: Tres Lent 'Contemplatif'
No. 3: Allegro Drammatico
No. 4: Lent, Vague, Indecis
No. 5: Fier Belliqueux

Customer Reviews:

Lean and mean Scriabin ... you know you like it!.......2007-05-06

The wide divergence of review comments about this CD reflects the difference of opinion and preference for how Scriabin's music should be played. As a member of the Scriabin Society of America, I've personally seen and heard many different interpretations of many of these sonatas ... along with strong opinions voiced both pro and con.

In the end, it all comes down to whether you like your Scriabin lean and taut ... or prefer him broad and expansive. I come down on the "lean" side, which is why I enjoy these performances. Michael Ponti misses some notes here and there, but when your Scriabin is almost going off the edge, that's what happens. Scriabin should never sound "pretty" -- especially in the Sonatas. Yes, there are moments of sheer exquisiteness to savor, but ultimately this is music that stretches the bounds of tonality and rattles the structural cage, trying to break free.

Once you've heard Ponti's take on Sonatas 4 and 5 -- or the Black and White Mass Sonatas for that matter -- you'll never again be satisfied with a merely "correct" or "poised" reading. That's selling Scriabin WAY too short ... but it's what 80% of the other pianists do. Oh yeah, but they might get all the notes correct.

Save your weekly three BigMac's and buy this CD set instead! top recommendation. cheap, cheap, cheap!!! :D.......2006-08-08

this complete sonatas box cannot be directly compared with competing recordings, such as Ashkenazy or Hamelin, because..it has many more pieces and sonatas(!): 10 sonatas, 2(!) early sonatas in G-sharp minor, and in E-flat minor, 3 Etudes op.65, 2 Poemes op.71, Verslaflamme op.72, 2 Danses op.73, 5 Preludes op.74. What a shame that Hamelin did not include E-flat minor sonata on his expensive hyperion release, oh well. Although i own the Hamelin set yet, for years, i also bought this Ponti set. For two simple, clear, reasonable reasons: [1] the VoxBox costs only 5EUR's (+3EUR shipping) in Amazon's caimanzone, which is a ridiculously low price (I paid 35EUR's for Hamelin!), so i have nothing to lose! Here in Germany I get three BigMac@McDonald's for 8EUR's, which equals one dinner for me :P, so I better save on the saturated fats and acids and calories and get the Ponti VoxBox. [2] the VoxBox complements/supplements my other PontiPlaysScriabin-VoxBox which lacks those later preludes, etudes, poemes and danses, and I dont want to miss these little pieces. well, at least not for the sake of 8EUR's.
Ponti's playing is less crisp and impetuous than Hamelin's but who of you would ever dare to complain after having saved three big macs and gained such an attractive jewecase box? No, for 8EUR's i cannot and will not complain. This was definitely one of the best deals in my collector's career. Thanks to amazon, thanks to its caimanzone :)
Total times of the two discs are 79:08, 79:35.

Bleah.......2005-11-15

If I could have given this 0 stars I would have. Ponti shows us that it is possible to get a large proportion of the notes right and still make absolutely no sense of the music. The only way I can describe the 7th sonata is laughable. The opening bars alone make it obvious that the pianist has little knowledge of beautiful tone on the piano. I know there is a lack of recordings of the 7th sonata specifically, but any other recording is miles better. The best I have heard is Joseph Villa's.

Sloppy, bombastic, and with poor sound quality.......2005-06-11

I can't accept wrong notes unless the performance is live, even though his crazed performance of the youthful E flat minor sonata (with the wrong final movement, by the way) is interesting, although ultimately unsatisfying. There are two sets of the Scriabin sonatas to avoid. Ogdon's and Ponti's. Like Ponti, Ogdon seriously lacks polish and hits some wrong notes, too. His performances are coarse, harsh, and difficult to listen to at all. Of the two sets, I'd rather listen to Ponti's.

Here's a breakdown for my suggested recordings of the sonatas, based on those I've heard:

G#m posthumous: Hamelin.

Ebm posthumous: Glemser.

No. 1: Kocyan, then Ashkenazy, then Taub. Kocyan tells a story. Ashkenazy is passionate. Taub is darker.

No. 2: Kocyan, then Glemser or Sofronitsky, then Ashkenazy. Kocyan's fluidity takes it, but Sofronitsky is artistic. Glemser's first movement is beautiful.

No. 3: Laredo or Horowitz. Then Glemser or Taub. Then Ashkenazy or Sofronitsky.

No. 4: Taub or Sofronitsky. The latter has more artistry, the former a more coherent and appropriate tone.

No. 5: Horowitz or Taub. The former has electric genius, the latter has wonderful refinement. Hamelin's is excellent (definitely his best Scriabin performance). I've heard that Richter's is great, but I don't have it.

No. 6: Richter (genius but bad sound quality), then Taub. Hamelin's is athletic and precise, but there is little mystery.

No. 7: Glemser, then Laredo. The former brings out all the complexity with precision, the latter is sharp and clear. I have not heard Richter's.

No. 8: Ashkenazy. Then Szidon or Laredo. I've read that Sofronitsky's is good, but I don't have it.

No. 9: Sofronitsky, then Horowitz (all versions), then Glemser, then Szidon and Taub.

No. 10: Horowitz or Taub. Same contrast of styles between the pianists as the fifth sonata. Like the fifth, this is Taub's other brilliant performance.

Other pieces:

Fantasy in B minor: Glemser
Vers la flamme: Sofronitsky or Horowitz, then Laredo.
Piano concerto: Ugorski/Boulez, then Ashkenazy/Maazel. Both are excellent, but I give the edge to Ugorski.
Poem of Ecstasy: Maazel
Prometheus: Ashkenazy/Maazel

Idiomatic and expressive Scriabin.......2004-06-10

Mr. Ponti reached a high peak with these set of Scriabin Sonatas. It's very difficult to find out the set as a whole. In this sense we must recognize the huge effort for recording these works, are decissive if you want to know the intimate world of Alexander Scriabin a passionate and troubled musician.
The wide frequency of emotions covered in these Sonatas are showed by Ponti, with flowness , deep honesty an conviction.
Acquire this set if you really love Scriabin piano music.