Title - 'Scriabin - The Complete Works' [18 CD]
Artist - Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin
Marking 100 years since his death, this is the first ever set of SCRIABIN - THE COMPLETE WORKS. Drawn principally from Decca's distinguished catalogue, the set also features no fewer than 64 newly-recorded tracks - over 200 mins of music, newly recorded by Vladimir Ashkenazy and Valentina Lisitsa especially for this set.
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist. Scriabin, who was influenced by Frédéric Chopin, composed early works that are characterized by tonal language. Later in his career, independently of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed a substantially atonal and much more dissonant musical system, which accorded with his personal brand of mysticism.
Scriabin was influenced by synesthesia, and associated colors with the various harmonic tones of his atonal scale, while his color-coded circle of fifths was also influenced by theosophy. He is considered by some to be the main Russian Symbolist composer.
Scriabin - The Complete Works brings together the spirit of the composers hundreds of piano pieces, preludes, etudes and poems. not forgetting his 10 piano sonatas, 85 preludes, 3 Symphonies, and so much, more, this incredibly in-depth 18 CD box-set focuses on Scriabin's most important piano works. His aforementioned 10 sonatas are beautifully played on these discs by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ivo Pogorelich, Sviatoslav Richter and Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
Indeed, Scriabin's major orchestral works include his Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op. 20, and we find that here played beautifully by Vladimir Ashkenazy and accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the late Loren Maazel.
The 18 discs also feature Scriabin's three numbered symphonies as well as the seductive Poem of Ecstasy (1908) and the questing, probing Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (1910) which are all given exemplary performances by conductors Eliahu Inbal, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Valery Gergiev. These works are the overt, public face of an intensely private and introverted composer.
NEW = a brand new recording for this collection.
CD1: Waltz in F Minor, Op.1 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
3 Pieces for piano, Op.2 [Vladimir Ashkenazy No.1 NEW / Valentina Lisitsa No.2&3 NEW ]
10 Mazurkas, Op.3 (1889) [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Allegro appassionato, Op.4 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
2 Nocturnes, Op.5 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
CD2: Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.6 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
2 Impromptus a la Mazur, Op.7 (1892) [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
12 Etudes For Piano, Op.8 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
12 Etudes For Piano, Op.8 No.12 – alternative version [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
CD3: Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
2 Impromptus, Op.10 (1894) [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
24 Preludes for piano, Op.11 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
2 Impromptus, Op.12 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
6 Preludes, Op. 13 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
2 Impromptus, Op.14 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
CD4: 5 Preludes, Op.15 / 5 Preludes, Op.16 / 7 Preludes, Op. 17 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Allegro de Concert, Op.18 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
Piano Sonata No.2, In G Sharp Minor Op.19 ""Sonata Fantasy"" [Ivo Pogorelich]
Polonaise, Op.21 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
4 Preludes, Op.22 NEW / Piano Sonata No.3 in F sharp minor, Op.23 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
CD5: 9 Mazurkas, Op.25 (1899) [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
2 Preludes, Op.27 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Fantasy in B minor, Op.28 [Sviatoslav Richter]
Piano Sonata No.4 in F sharp major, Op.30 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
4 Preludes, Op.31 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
2 Poèmes, Op.32 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
4 Preludes, Op.33 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Poème tragique, Op.34 [Jean Louis Steuerman]
3 Preludes, Op.35 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
CD6: Poème satanique, Op.36 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
4 Preludes, Op.37 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Waltz No.4, Op.38 [Benjamin Grosvenor]
4 Preludes, Op.39 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
2 Mazurkas, Op.40 [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Poème, Op.41 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
8 Etudes, Op.42 [Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
2 Poèmes, Op.44 [Jean Louis Steuerman]
Trois Morceaux, Op.45 [Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
Scherzo, Op.46 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
Quasi Waltz, Op.47 [Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
4 Preludes, Op.48 (1905) [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Trois Morceaux, Op.49
Valentina Lisitsa (No.1) NEW / Gordon Fergus-Thompson (No.2) / Anna Gourari (No.3)
Four Pieces, Op.51 / 3 Pieces, Op.52 NEW [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
Piano Sonata No.5 in F sharp major, Op.53 [Sviatoslav Richter]
CD7: Quatre Morceaux, Op.56 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
2 Pieces, Op.57 [Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
Feuillet d'album, Op.58 [ Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
Two Pieces, Op.59 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
Poème-Nocturne, Op.61 [Sviatoslav Richter]
Piano Sonata No.6, Op.62 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
2 Poèmes, Op.63 [Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
Piano Sonata No.7 (""White Mass""), Op.64 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
Three Etudes, Op.65 [Valentina Lisitsa] Nos.2&3 NEW
CD8: Piano Sonata No.8, Op.66 [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
2 Preludes, Op.67 (1912-13) [Gordon Fergus-Thompson]
Piano Sonata No.9, Op.68 ""Black Mass"" [Pierre-Laurent Aimard]
2 Poèmes, Op.69 NEW / Piano Sonata No.10, Op.70 / Two Poèmes, Op.71 NEW / Vers la flamme, Op.72 NEW [Vladimir Ashkenazy]
2 Danses, Op.73 [Sviatoslav Richter]
5 Preludes, Op.74 [Vladimir Ashkenazy] NEW
CD9: Canon In D Minor, WoO 1 [Anna Gourari]
Romance in F Sharp Major, WoO 2 NEW / Nocturne in A Flat, WoO 3 NEW / Scherzo in E Flat, WoO 4 NEW / Scherzo in A Flat, WoO 5 NEW
[Valentina Lisitsa] Sonata-Fantasy In G Sharp Minor, WoO 6 [Roberto Szidon]
Valse in G Sharp Minor, WoO 7 NEW / Valse in D Flat Major, WoO 8 NEW / Variations in F Minor on a Theme by Mlle Egoroff, WoO 9 NEW / Duett in D minor, WoO 10 NEW* / Fugue in F Minor, WoO 12 NEW* / Fugue in F Minor, WoO 13 NEW* / Makurka in B Minor, WoO 14 NEW* / Mazurka in B Minor, WoO 15 NEW / Mazurka in F Major, WoO 16 NEW
[Valentina Lisitsa]
*-recorded for the first time
Feuillet d'Album in A flat major op.posth. (1889) [Anna Gourari]
Fantasy in A Minor, WoO 18 [Vovka & Vladimir Ashkenazy]
Sonata in E flat minor (1887-89) [Roberto Szidon]
Fugue in E Minor, WoO 20 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
Romance in A Minor, WoO 21 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
Feuille d'Album in F Sharp Major, WoO 25 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
Klavierstücke in B Flat Minor, Anh 16 [Valentina Lisitsa] NEW
CD10: Variations on a Russian folk song for string quartet (1898, by various composers/ Var.2 by Alexander Scriabin)
Kuss Quartet
Andante & Scherzo for Strings
Hamburg Strings
Symphonic Poem in D Minor, WoO 24
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Igor Golovschin
Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op.20
Vladimir Ashkenazy
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Lorin Maazel
Rêverie, Op.24
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin
Vladimir Ashkenazy
CD11: Symphony No.1 in E, Op.26
Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester, Berlin
Vladimir Ashkenazy
CD12: Symphony No.2 in C minor, Op.29
Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt
Eliahu Inbal
CD13: Symphony No.3 in C minor, - ""Le Poème Divin""
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin
Vladimir Ashkenazy
CD14: Le Poème de l'Extase, Op.54
Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg
Valery Gergiev
Promethée - Le Poème du Feu, Op.60
Alexander Toradze
Kirov Orchestra, St Petersburg
Valery Gergiev
CD15: Nuances: Piano pieces orchestrated by Alexander Nemtin
Preparation for the Final Mystery - Realised by Nemtin - Part 1 - Universe
Alexander Ghindin
Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester, Berlin
Vladimir Ashkenazy
CD16: Preparation for the Final Mystery - Realised by Alexander Nemtin - Part 2 – Mankind
CD17: Preparation for the Final Mystery - Realised by Alexander Nemtin - Part 3 – Transfiguration
CD18: Scriabin across the generations – performances by legendary pianists and artists of the younger generation
1.Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op.2, No.1
2.No. 12 in D sharp minor from 12 Etudes for piano, Op.8
Vladimir Horowitz
3.Prelude in D Major, Op.11, No.5 - Live In London / 1975
Shura Cherkassky
4.Vers la flamme, Op.72
Sviatoslav Richter
5. Poème Op.32 no.1
Mikhail Pletnev
6.No. 5 In C Sharp Minor from 8 Etudes, Op.42
7-10.Four Pieces, Op.51
Yevgeny Kissin
11-13.Nos. 4,6 and 9 from 10 Mazurkas, Op.3 (1889)
Benjamin Grosvenor
14-15.Piano Sonata No.2 In G Sharp Minor, Op.19 ""Sonata Fantasy"" - Live From Carnegie Hall, New York City / 2013
Daniil Trifonov
What distinguishes this box set are the 64 new recordings played by Vladimir Ashkenazy and Valentina Lisitsa. Lisitsa is an especially tasteful pianist with a superb command of dynamics and a sensitivity and expressiveness at the keyboard that is particularly well-suited to Scriabin's astral mysticism. The rest of the collection features performances that are uniformly impressive.
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