Scriabins Temple

[Madiel]

Between them these boxes have given me every opus.

[Cato]

Between them these boxes have given me every opus.

MARIA LETTBERG!!! Yes, an excellent set!

[vers la flamme]

^I'm going to get that Lettberg set as a Christmas present to myself, I think. Looks great. Plus I could get some newer recordings of Scriabin. I mostly go for the old Russians.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I like Lettberg's set too. She issued an album of posthumous works. While several pieces are significantly Chopin-esque, it is very good album. I also think that Valentina Lisitsa's set is solid. Ohlsson and Le Van are good too. Listeners maybe divided on Berlinskaya's performance. I found her rhythm and timing unique. I'm not a big fan of Ponti's boxes.

[Madiel]

I like Lettberg's set too. She issued an album of posthumous works. While several pieces are significantly Chopin-esque, it is very good album. I also think that Valentina Lisitsa's set is solid. Ohlsson and Le Van are good too. Listeners maybe divided on Berlinskaya's performance. I found her rhythm and timing unique. I'm not a big fan of Ponti's boxes.

Ah, I didn't know Lettberg had done an extra album. I will have to check that out.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ah, I didn't know Lettberg had done an extra album. I will have to check that out.

Majority of the works sound like his early, rather than late, works. I don't know your personal preference, but it is an excellent performance.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

It seems that Scriabin's symphonies have not been addressed much on the thread. There are many sets offering all or several Symphonies. While the Muti set is solid, I like the set by Eliahu Inbal with Frankfurt Radio SO. The set offers the 3 Symphonies plus Ecstasy and Prometheus. The performance is dynamic and vivid while maintaining sophistication. The Frankfurt orchestra sounds very versatile. Good recording sound as well. Also, the old recording of No.1-3 by Konstantin Ivanov sounds interesting. The recording quality is fair to good. The No.1 is a live recording and you can hear the noise. I believe Ivanov was the conductor of USSR State SO before Svetlanov. The performance exhibits earthy dynamism and exotic lyricism though it is a little raw and not fully refined. There is an unique aestheticism here. I think the Inbal, Ivanov and Muti sets are my favorite.  Certainly, there are other good recordings as well, including the Jarvi, Svetlanov (Jeffery wrote a liner note), and Golovanov (recommended by Music Turner) sets. The performances by Golovanov are wonderful but the recording sound is poor. The Segerstam set is good/fair while the Petrenko albums are average/mediocre to me.

[Madiel]

It seems that Scriabin's symphonies have not been addressed much on the thread. There are many sets offering all or several Symphonies. While the Muti set is solid, I like the set by Eliahu Inbal with Frankfurt Radio SO. The set offers the 3 Symphonies plus Ecstasy and Prometheus. The performance is dynamic and vivid while maintaining sophistication. The Frankfurt orchestra sounds very versatile. Good recording sound as well. Also, the old recording of No.1-3 by Konstantin Ivanov sounds interesting. The recording quality is fair to good. The No.1 is a live recording and you can hear the noise. I believe Ivanov was the conductor of USSR State SO before Svetlanov. The performance exhibits earthy dynamism and exotic lyricism though it is a little raw and not fully refined. There is an unique aestheticism here. I think the Inbal, Ivanov and Muti sets are my favorite.  Certainly, there are other good recordings as well, including the Jarvi, Svetlanov (Jeffery wrote a liner note), and Golovanov (recommended by Music Turner) sets. The performances by Golovanov are wonderful but the recording sound is poor. The Segerstam set is good/fair while the Petrenko albums are average/mediocre to me.

Have you heard Ashkenazy? When I was looking at complete sets the ones that seemed to keep coming up were Muti and Ashkenazy. I went with Ashkenazy for a few reasons, including that it was truly complete (the piano concerto, and Reverie which surprisingly is often not included).

I haven't listened to the whole set as yet, but admit to having mixed feelings about some of the earlier performances.

[vers la flamme]

I still need a full set of Scriabin's symphonies, but I'm torn between Ashkenazy and Muti. Both sound great, with the Muti sounding a little bit more lush and romantic, Ashkenazy seeming a bit more tempered or held back. But I'm curious, anyone heard Gergiev/LSO?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

In general, I don't like Ashkenazy's piano or conducting. I don't like his Scriabin symphonies either. It seems to me, the Gergiev live is mediocre. It is on Youtube, Amazon, etc. I agree with your description of the Muti recording. For dynamism and vibrancy, I like the other two I mentioned. I forgot to mention the Pletnev/Pentatone set, which is very good.

Also, the Kitaenko set is good, if not excellent.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Only one Scriabin/Ashkenazy disc I listen is the Nemtin work. I don't think an explanation about the work is necessary to the members here.

[Madiel]

In general, I don't like Ashkenazy's piano or conducting. I don't like his Scriabin symphonies either.

Okay. Well I do tend to like him in other repertoire that I know him for, so obviously we'd be coming at his Scriabin from different perspectives.

[relm1]

Does anyone have a recording of Scriabin's opera, "Keistut and Biruta"?  A performance edition was completed by Nemtin and premiered with a private recording from Nemtin, just wondering if anyone has it?  Thanks.

[Cato]

Does anyone have a recording of Scriabin's opera, "Keistut and Biruta"?  A performance edition was completed by Nemtin and premiered with a private recording from Nemtin, just wondering if anyone has it?  Thanks.

Check this via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/v/MyIrm55J2HY

[MusicTurner]

Check this via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/v/MyIrm55J2HY

¨

Interesting, I never heard about that one, thank you.
BTW that must be a Roerich painting, another interesting fellow with a museum in New York.

[relm1]

Check this via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/v/MyIrm55J2HY

Thanks so much!

[Madiel]

The question is, how much of this Scriabin-Nemtin piece is Scriabin, and how much is Nemtin?

Is it like Debussy-Ortledge works, where the Debussy proportion keeps getting smaller and smaller as Ortledge hunts for more things to complete?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The question is, how much of this Scriabin-Nemtin piece is Scriabin, and how much is Nemtin?

Is it like Debussy-Ortledge works, where the Debussy proportion keeps getting smaller and smaller as Ortledge hunts for more things to complete?

I tend to separate authenticity, likability, and artistic quality.
I don't know the opera, but as for Mysterium, it is likable and good music if not an authentic Scriabin work.

[Cato]

Part II: only 6 minutes long.


https://www.youtube.com/v/A3vyL4QZ6-k

[Madiel]

I tend to separate authenticity, likability, and artistic quality.
I don't know the opera, but as for Mysterium, it is likable and good music if not an authentic Scriabin work.

Which wasn't my question.

You might well separate authenticity. But when people use a composer's name it is with the deliberate intention of selling the piece as coming from that composer. So it's a fair question to ask just how authentic that use of a name is, by asking what state the material from well-known composer no.1 was actually in before less well-known composer no.2 came along.