Alexander Scriabin - Mazurkas (Andrey Gugnin)

Information

Composer: Alexander Scriabin

• 10 Mazurkas, Op. 3
• 9 Mazurkas, Op. 25
• Mazurka in F major, WoO 16
• Mazurka in B minor, WoO 15

Andrey Gugnin, piano

Date: 2022

Label: Hyperion

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Review

Scriabin’s Mazurkas mainly represent his early period, from early adolescence through 1903, stopping short of the harmonic advances and mystical overtones characterizing his later works. They’re generally less striking than Scriabin’s early Preludes and Etudes, yet sensitive pianists with an ear for nuance usually put across the Mazurkas convincingly.

Andrey Gugnin possesses these qualities, and has that gift for spinning out melodies in long, shapely arches, with exquisite finger legato. In the E major Op. 25 No. 4, he lovingly lingers where Maria Lettberg flies ahead. The B major Op. 25 No. 8’s elusive phrases ebb and flow over the bar lines, while strategically deployed left-hand accents spice up the E-flat minor Op. 25 No. 9’s understated disquiet. Gugnin underscores the two Op. 40 Mazurkas’ sexy modulations by adjusting touch and shifting timbre, rather than using rubato.

My only half-quibble concerns many of the early Op. 3 selections, where Gugnin’s basic pulse leans more toward waltzing regularity than “mazurking” asymmetry. Peter Jablonski’s Mazurkas have the interpretive edge in this regard. On the other hand, Gugnin’s approach imparts a stronger than usual backbone to the expansive and ethereal Op. 3 No. 10 piece in E-flat minor.

As with Chopin’s Mazurkas, Scriabin’s lend themselves to different interpretive approaches, and to pick one cycle over another is like choosing apples over oranges over plums over grapes over, well, every other fruit! Certainly you cannot go wrong with Gugnin’s refined artistry and Hyperion’s world-class sonics, although I’m not relinquishing my reference Jablonski, Alexeev, and Lettberg cycles. And when I crave more subjective and stretched out Scriabin Mazurka playing, I’ve got the François Chaplin and Artur Pizarro cycles on reserve.

-- Jed Distler

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Alexander Scriabin (6 January 1872 – 27 April 1915) was a Russian composer and pianist, renowned for his innovative contributions to classical music. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Anton Arensky, Sergei Taneyev and Vasily Safonov. Scriabin composed almost exclusively for solo piano and for orchestra. Initially influenced by Romanticism, his style evolved into more abstract and mystical realms, incorporating complex harmonies and unconventional scales. His most famous compositions include piano works like Etudes, Preludes, and Sonatas, as well as his symphonic work Prometheus: The Poem of Fire. 

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Andrey Gugnin (born 5 March 1987 in Moscow) is a Russian pianist. Since winning the 2014 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition and the 2016 Sydney Piano Competition, he has given solo recitals and performed with great ensembles (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra) in some of the world's greatest venues (Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Auditorium du Louvre, Musikverein Wien, Mariinsky Concert Hall, Victoria Hall in Geneva). As a recording artist, Andrey has published a broad scope of repertoire, ranging from works for solo piano to concertos.

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