Scriabin's Piano Solo Works

[North Star]

I have been binging on Scriabin's solo piano music lately, so I was excited to learn that Brilliant are issuing a new recording of the complete sonatas by Dmitri Alexeev [Alexeyev].

http://www.youtube.com/v/cjZQVg2T9xc

http://www.brilliantclassics.com/release.aspx?id=FM00417683

It's already available at Amazon UK & DE - £5.99 / €10.71
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scriabin-Complete-Sonatas-Dmitri-Alexeev/dp/B008L62WW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1347750729&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.de/Scriabin-Complete-Sonatas-Dmitri-Alexeev/dp/B008L62WW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1347750729&sr=1-1

[PaulSC]

Thanks for the links, North Star. The USA release is not until next week, at which point I'll probably pick it up from Amazon.com. (Why are USA releases so often held back?)

[asin]B008L62WW4[/asin]

[The new erato]

Olli Mustonen has a new Scriabin dissc on Ondine that I recommend highly.

[PaulSC]

Olli Mustonen has a new Scriabin dissc on Ondine that I recommend highly.

Mustonen often divides opinions, and I'm afraid that's the case here. I don't enjoy his Scriabin disc at all. I feel that his idiosyncratic touch doesn't produce the singing legato this repertoire requires, and that he compensates by over-pedalling. The only highlight for me is the Tenth Sonata, where I admit he works some magic. Not my favorite rendition of this piece, but nice to have a compelling interpretation outside the mainstream.

Another recent Scriabin disc is Vladimir Feltsman on Nimbus. I like this one better, but it's still not top-shelf for me. Something about his rubato, how it relies so heavily on delaying or extending individual notes, as opposed to the effects of fluctuating tempo one hears in Scriabin's own playing...

[Sammy]

Olli Mustonen has a new Scriabin dissc on Ondine that I recommend highly.

Agreed.  Seems to me that Mustonen is tailor-made for Scriabin's music unlike someone named Piers Lane on Hyperion who treats him as a Chopin clone.

[The new erato]

I find his "restless energy" perfect for this disc.

[George]

Anyone heard (of) this youngster before?



ALEXANDER SCRIABIN
Poems Op. 32, 69, 71 & 72
Sonatas 4, 5, 8 & 9
Andrei Korobeinikov - piano

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,9.msg355110.html#msg355110

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Kuerti is the pianist I favor is the piano sonatas. Though I think he has only done two.

Kuerti may not have the notoriety of others in this repertoire but I agree his Analekta disc is a wonderfully sympathetic window into Scriabin (the sonata no.1 is actually Glazunov).

[Dancing Divertimentian]

In the mazurkas Pizarro's disc (OOP, unfortunately) is beautifully skillful in all the right ways.

[Sammy]

In the mazurkas Pizarro's disc (OOP, unfortunately) is beautifully skillful in all the right ways.

Agreed.  It's the best recording of the complete mazurkas I've come across.

[Brian]

Thanks very much for the remarks on Pizarro's mazurkas, folks. I listened to quite a few mazurka recordings on Naxos Music Library and found that none of them had any chance against the four selections recorded by Yevgeny Sudbin. Hope Pizarro maintains that kind of quality over the full set.

[staxomega]

Seeing the Marc Andre-Hamelin thread bumped reminded me to revisit his Scriabin and some others. Since this last discussion there are several cycles that have come out, Vincent Maltempo (what a surname!), Keiri Nakano, Peter Donohoe and I'm sure many I'm missing.

The pianist/critic John Bell Young wrote an all too emotionally charged take on Scriabin pianists, link. As over the top as it might be his own recordings of 5 and 7 are exceptional.

* I don't know about this whole synesthesia thing, medicine has little meaningful to say on it. Maybe some of these things are romanticized too much by people like Scriabin scholars. What I do hear is plenty of color in Scriabin's sonatas and I think his own pedal markings should be adhered to. This is where I think Horowitz and Marc-Andre Hamelin really shine.

My gross overview and how I think of them, those that have an excellent feel for the music and are they capable of playing it. I did some blind listening with 5, 7, 9 several years ago though knowing the recordings well (except Sofronitsky who at the time was new to me) I'm not sure how objective it would have been.

Dmitri Alexeev - for me the most balanced in terms of interpretation and playing
Vladimir Horowitz - incomplete, also exceptional interpretively

Vladimir Ashkenazy - falls just below this, overall well balanced cycle
Roberto Szidon - interpretively exceptional, I need to revisit this as it sounds like maybe he did some things like over use of pedal to make up for not pristine technique

Anna Malikova - well balanced cycle, a bit lacking in 7 and 9
Ruth Laredo - interpretively excellent, not the most secure playing
Marc Andre-Hamelin - extremely fine playing, but not really too taken with them in many of the sonatas from 5 onward
Maria Lettberg - ok in the piano sonatas, I was more impressed by the Mazurkas (though I'd still rather listen to Sofronitsky) and lesser extent Preludes

Need to revisit/familiarize myself with again- Michael Ponti, Robert Taub

Vladimir Sofronitsky - playing is often rather messy, but has a strong feel for the music. Did extremely well in my blind testing. Vast majority of his CDs have noise reduction, I have only heard one series that does not and I am still trying to buy them.

Haven't heard but maybe it has promise - a Profil/Hanssler set that compiles Sofronitsky/Richter/Neuhaus and calls it complete. I dislike the sound of their historical reissues so I haven't heard this. What little I've heard of Neuhaus left me unimpressed. Richter really has an excellent feel for the music in his various Russian live or BBC recordings I've heard but they are very far from complete, even Horowitz has recorded more of them.

[Spotted Horses]

Hamelin and Ashkenazy were impressive in the Sonatas. I think Ruth Laredo may be my first pick.

[SonicMan46]

Well, I just left the quoted post below in the listening thread w/ an attachment on reviews - looks like there are a LOT of other considerations?  I'll have to see what is available on Spotify - thought that those two recordings in my collection were just fine?  Dave

Scriabin, Alexander(1872-1915) - Piano Sonatas - Maria Lettberg vs. M-A Hamelin - gentler touch vs. more powerful technique, respectively?  Bottom line is I like each interpretations and the pianos/sound recording are both excellent - reviews attached for those interested.  Dave

 

[mabuse]

I think Ruth Laredo may be my first pick.

It would be mine too 

(but a good remaster would still be welcome... )

[George]

Have folks compared the Lettberg and Alexeev cycles? If so, I'd be interested to hear your impressions.
I have been doing so over the last few days, as I was thinking of buying one of them or maybe getting a set of the etudes, mazurkas and preludes, as I have enough recordings of the sonatas. Who do people like for the complete etudes and preludes?

Here's what I have come up with for Lettberg and Alexeev:

Lettberg - has the edge when it comes to sound and overall clarity. Overall, faster tempos, more direct playing.

Alexeev - more romantic playing, more distantly recorded piano that results in blurred sound.

[Florestan]

I am greatly tempted by this set, is anyone familiar with it?



I have the Lettberg set and I remember having enjoyed it in its entirety a few years ago. Music-wise, I confess to enjoying early and middle Scriabin music more than his late works.

[vers la flamme]

I am greatly tempted by this set, is anyone familiar with it?



I have the Lettberg set and I remember having enjoyed it in its entirety a few years ago. Music-wise, I confess to enjoying early and middle Scriabin music more than his late works.

I am not, but I have some recordings on the Vista Vera label of Sofronitsky playing Scriabin, and they're about as good as it gets.

[Mandryka]

I am greatly tempted by this set, is anyone familiar with it?



I have the Lettberg set and I remember having enjoyed it in its entirety a few years ago. Music-wise, I confess to enjoying early and middle Scriabin music more than his late works.

Here's what's in it, I'd have thought most of it is on youtube, so you can make your own judgements about sound quality and performance before investing. For some people these recordings are peak Scriabin performances. For others they're one way with the music amongst many. My own view is that they're worth hearing.

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/56/000149665.pdf

[Florestan]

Here's what's in it, I'd have thought most of it is on youtube, so you can make your own judgements about sound quality and performance before investing. For some people these recordings are peak Scriabin performances. For others they're one way with the music amongst many. My own view is that they're worth hearing.

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/56/000149665.pdf

Thanks, pal.