Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 5 & 9; Etudes; Preludes (Sviatoslav Richter)

Information

Composer: Alexander Scriabin

1. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 2 in A minor
2. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 3 in G major
3. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 5 in D major
4. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 9 in E major
5. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 10 in C sharp minor
6. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 11 in B major
7. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 12 in G sharp minor
8. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 15 in D flat major
9. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 16 in B flat minor
10. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 17 in A flat major
11. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 18 in F minor
12. 24 Preludes, Op. 11: No. 24 in D minor
13. 6 Preludes, Op. 13: No. 1 in C major
14. 6 Preludes, Op. 13: No. 4 in E minor
15. 4 Preludes, Op. 37: No. 1 in B flat major
16. 4 Preludes, Op. 37: No. 2 in F sharp major
17. 4 Preludes, Op. 37: No. 3 in B major
18. 4 Preludes, Op. 37: No. 4 in G minor
19. 4 Preludes, Op. 39: No. 3 in G major
20. 4 Preludes, Op. 39: No. 4 in A flat major
21. 2 Pieces, Op. 59: 2. Prelude
22. 5 Preludes, Op. 74: No. 1 Douloureux, déchirant
23. 5 Preludes, Op. 74: No. 3 Allegro drammatico
24. 5 Preludes, Op. 74: No. 4 Lent, vague, indécis
25. Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor "Sonata-Fantasy", Op. 19: 1. Andante
26. Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor "Sonata-Fantasy", Op. 19: 2. Presto
27. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 2 in F sharp minor
28. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 3 in F sharp major
29. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 4 in F sharp major
30. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 5 in C sharp minor
31. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 6 in D flat major
32. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 8 in E flat major
33. Piano Sonata No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 53
34. Piano Sonata No. 9 "Black Mass", Op. 68
35. 3 Pieces, Op. 52: 1. Poem in C major

Sviatoslav Richter, piano

Date: 1972

Label: Music & Arts

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Review

This all-Scriabin recital recorded live in Warsaw in October, 1972 captures the legendary Sviatoslav Richter in staggering form. He opens with a judiciously varied selection of Preludes, whose laser clarity and jaw-dropping digital control make most mortal pianists sound thick as a brick. The pianist takes incredible chances with the Second Sonata’s whirlwind finale, and easily transcends the knottier passages sprinkled throughout the Op. 42 Etudes. Granted, Richter’s ethereal trills in the Ninth Sonata don’t possess Horowitz’s jackhammer intensity, but few pianists match Richter’s light-fingered speed in the demanding Fifth Sonata, where he achieves miracles of color and dynamic shading largely through finger and hand balance, with little sustain pedal. A few wrong notes don’t matter in playing of this magnitude. The sound is not particularly alluring, but non-specialists will find it perfectly listenable. If you want more incisive engineering, go to Richter’s Prague Scriabin Second and Fifth on Praga, also from 1972, or the mesmerizing 1962 Fifth on Deutsche Grammophon. No Richter or Scirabin buff should be without this disc, newly reissued in Music & Arts’ mid-price Merit line.

-- 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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Sviatoslav Richter (March 20 [O.S. March 7] 1915 – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet pianist known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. Richter worked tirelessly to learn new pieces. His vast repertoire, around eighty different programs, not counting chamber works, ranged from Handel and Bach to Szymanowski, Berg, Webern, Stravinsky, Bartók, Hindemith, Britten, and Gershwin. Despite his large discography, Richter disliked the recording process, and most of Richter's recordings originate from live performances.

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