Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonatas Nos. 9 & 10; Etudes; Poems (Vladimir Horowitz)

Information

Composer: Alexander Scriabin

1. Piano Sonata No. 9 in F major, Op. 68 "Black Mass"
2. Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 70
3. Etude in C-sharp minor, Op. 2, No. 1
4. Etude in C-sharp minor, Op. 2, No. 1
5. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 2 in F-sharp minor
6. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 8 in A-flat major
7. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 10 in D-flat major
8. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 11 in B-flat minor
9. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 12 in D-sharp minor
10. 12 Etudes, Op. 8: No. 12 in D-sharp minor
11. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 3 in F-sharp major
12. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 4 in F-sharp major
13. 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 5 in C-sharp minor
14. 3 Etudes, Op. 65: 3. Molto vivace
15. Poeme in F-sharp major, Op. 32 No. 1
16. Poeme in F-sharp major, Op. 32 No. 1
17. Album Leaf, Op. 45: No. 1 in E-flat major
18. Feuillet d'album, Op. 58
19. 2 Poemes, Op. 69: 1. Allegretto
20. 2 Poemes, Op. 69: 2. Allegretto
21. Ver la flamme (Poeme), Op. 72

Vladimir Horowitz, piano

Date: 1962-1972

Label: Sony Classical

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Review

Vladimir Horowitz’s affinity with the music of Scriabin bordered on clairvoyance, and his interpretations captured the composer’s necromantic spirit like few others. The pianist’s mercurial temperament, ferocity of attack, and restless manipulations of tone color, pedal effects, and dynamic hues work in tandem to bring the music’s demonic undercurrents to an intense boil. As you listen to him play the Ninth and Tenth Sonatas, you don’t hear thematic cells develop into larger patterns. Instead you visualize shadows that materialize into monsters, or a kitten working its way out of a paper bag, then growing fangs, sharp claws, and a devil’s tail. Trills and tremolos aren’t just decorative effects but fuel for impassioned pianistic fire. Horowitz’s Vers la flamme scorches like no other performance, and even lighthearted pieces such as the so-called “Mosquito” etude (so named for its long chains of dissonant trills) are tinged (or should I say “singed”) with disquiet. You never can predict when an unexpected accent or inner voice or sudden dip in a lyrical line will transpire, yet these effects never are momentary diversions–rather, they’re integral components of a sonic design that fully exploits and ultimately transcends the piano’s mortal strings and hammers.

This reissue contains all of the Scriabin selections that Horowitz made for Columbia Masterworks, including both versions of three pieces that he recorded twice (the C-sharp minor and D-sharp minor Etudes and the F-sharp Poème). While sound quality varies a bit from session to session (the 1962 engineering, in fact, is warmer and more spacious than the drier, almost flinty 1972 material), Horowitz’s artistry soars at its musical and intellectual apex. If you could choose only a single Scriabin CD for your collection, make it this one. [11/29/2003]

-- 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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Vladimir Horowitz (October 1 [O.S. September 18] 1903 – November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Born in Kiev, Russian Empire, he studied at the Kiev Conservatory with Vladimir Puchalsky, Sergei Tarnowsky, and Felix Blumenfeld. He emigrated to Germany in 1925 and settled in the U.S. in 1939. Horowitz is best known for his performances of the Romantic piano repertoire, especially the Liszt Sonata and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3.

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