Search - Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy :: Scriabin: 3 Symphonies & Le Poème de l'extase/ Ashkenazy

Magnificent!

KH | United States | 03/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Western world has had an estranged relationship with Alexander Scriabin. During the Russian composer's life he performed throughout Europe to critical acclaim. His mystical, exotic themes and passionate symphonies swept up audiences in Germany, France and even sober-minded England. So why has the legend of Scriabin faded? Perhaps we can look to Scriabin's work itself for answers. `Le poème de l'extase' and `The Divine Poem', in particular, best represent Scriabin's use of surreal subject matter and unusual instrumentation to illustrate his unusual vision. The selected works do not present themselves to the listener - they swim, swirl, entice and ultimately confront the listener's senses. Scriabin believed in a holistic approach to composing and listening to his symphonies was never meant to be a passive experience. Scriabin was interested in esoteric cultural themes, Eastern philosophy, Russian patriotism, Nietzschesque explorations, mysticism and the "heightening of the senses through music". While Scriabin's exhaustive list of interests and often (seemingly) conflicting influences saturated his work, he manages to orchestrate and organize these volatile themes into comprehensive, powerful symphonic offerings. Quite simply, no composer before or since has been able to mold so wide a variety of themes into a single motif - and make it work. Criticism of Scriabin's work was never unduly harsh. The most common critique from Western audiences has always been that Scriabin's work seems "foreign" or "bizarre and surreal". Russian audiences easily embrace Scriabin and in many ways he is considered one of their best kept national secrets. After Scriabin's death his work largely faded in the eye of the Western world, perhaps because Scriabin had no heir or champion in the Western world - no musical mind to adopt and expand upon his ideas. He swept across Europe like a storm, and seemed to disappear as quickly as he came. Within the last 25 years, the Western world has been slowly reintroduced to Alexander Scriabin. European and American audiences, perhaps because of curiosity or expanding tolerance, seem eager to dive into Scriabin's music and explore the robust and eccentric themes that fueled his work. The 3 Symphonies offered here under the leadership of Vladamir Ashkenazy and performed by the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester in Berlin, are brilliant, dazzling readings of Scriabin's work. Ashkenazy captures Scriabin in all his fury and passion and spurs the musicians onto greater and greater heights. Scriabin's 3 Symphonies are not meant for the meek or weak of heart. Listening to Scriabin is not unlike engaging in a volatile love affair - it is physical, passionate and dizzying! Listen to Scriabin and you are listening to the triumphant buzz and hum of life itself."

The greatest but......

Ryan Kouroukis | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 10/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This set is amazing in every way, but get the new Ashkenazy 3-CD set released from Decca's TRIO label. It contains the 3 symphonies, the poem of exctasy, prometheus, the piano concerto, and the reverie! I bought it new from my local HMV for $11.99!!!
By far the best Scriabin I've heard besides the Muti! Ashkenazy really knows, understands and loves Scriabin's music. Plus the recorded digital sound is superlative."

Definitive Performances Of Scriabin's Orchestral Music

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 02/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vladimir Ashkenazy leads the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin (recently renamed the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin) in these revelatory performances of Scriabin's orchestral music. These are passionately warm performances, especially of the "Poem Of Ectasy". Ashkenazy steers a fine middle course between technical perfection and excessive emotion, yet leads his orchestra in one brilliant performance after another. To his credit, Ashkenazy's interpretation of the "Poem Of Ectasy" isn't as dramatically intense as a Kirov Orchestra performance conducted by Gergiev that I heard a few months ago at New York City's legendary Carnegie Hall; somehow I sensed that Gergiev was losing control of his forces, especially the Brass section. Here, Ashkenazy does a splendid job keeping his forces in check, so that the brass section doesn't overwhelm the rest. The sound quality is absolutely impeccable."