Search - Alexander Scriabin, Mikhail Pletnev :: Scriabin: 24 Preludes/Sonatas 4 & 10

A intelligent compilation brilliantly played

Charles Milton Ling | Vienna, Austria | 08/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have loved Scriabin for many, many years. I have dozens of LPs and many CDs with works by this often enigmatic composer performed by pianists famous and less famous who have given me very much pleasure.None of them surpasses this recording.From the cosmos of the op. 11 Préludes to the almost visionary Sonata No. 10, Pletnev captures what to me is the essence of Scriabin's compositions: their often eruptive force, their sometimes completely ethereal beauty. Pletnev is at one with the composer, I feel. No higher praise is possible.There can be no better introduction to Scriabin for anyone interested in this enigmatic grandmaster of the piano. And "Scriabinists" will not be able to do without this CD.Charley"

Chiseled in Granite

Alistaire Bowler | Melbourne, Australia | 11/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Excellent Preludes

Guitar Player | 01/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."