Alexander Scriabin can be considered one of the most exciting personalities among Russian composers. He was born in 1872 in Moscow, to a family of noble origins. His mother, Lyubov Petrova Scriabina, who died in 1873, was a pianist too. Scriabin studied at the Moscow Conservatory from 1888 to 1892, around the same time as Sergey Rachmaninoff. His unique style of composition in the beginning was influenced by Fryderyk Chopin, however, as his compositional language matured, Scriabin was inspired by theosphy, mysticism, poetry, philosophy, and his own synaesthesia. In his ouvre, Scriabin reevaluated the meaning of Gesamtkunstwerk originated from Richard Wagner, as his later works were combinations of different branches of art.
For this post, I chose a piece from the composer’s first period. Scriabin started writing the Sonata op. 19 in g-sharp minor in 1892. It is the second among his ten piano sonatas. It was only published in 1897, after a series of revisions. In 1896, the composer stated the following: ’’I have finished the sonata, but I am completely dissatisfied with it (…)’’.
It consists of two movements, both in g-sharp minor:
I. Andante
II. Presto
This sonata feels almost impressionistic, which is not a coincidence, if we take a look at the programme notes written by the composer:
’’The first section represents the quiet of a southern night on the seashore; the development is the dark agitation of the deep, deep sea. The E major middle section shows caressing moonlight coming up after the first darkness of night. The second movement represents the vast expanses of ocean in a stormy night.’’
Despite being a late 19th century work, many ideas used by Scriabin in this sonata were the results of Beethoven’s experimenting with the sonata form. For example, both sonatas in his op. 27 (E-flat major and c-sharp minor) are subtitled ’’Quasi una fantasia’’, and differ a lot from the classical sonata form. In his 32 sonatas, many have less or more than the standard 4 movements. The most relevant is the Sonata op. 90 in e minor, which consists of only two movements.
One of the best recordings of this sonata is from Valentina Lisitsa, Ukranian pianist who became famous on YouTube. The recording was made in 2013, in Blumenstein, Canton of Bern, Switzerland-which is also related to Scriabin’s life: in 1903 he moved to Switzerland with his wife. I think Lisitsa’s interpretation creates an atmosphere which is very close to the sensations mentioned in the programme notes, and the acoustic environment of the church makes this recording unique.
Noémi Baki-Szmaler, guest editor - @une-barque-sur-l-ocean
