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Track(s) taken from CDA67057/8

Six préludes, Op 13

composer
1895

Piers Lane (piano)
Recording details: June 2000
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Amanda Hurton
Engineered by Tony Faulkner
Release date: February 2001
Total duration: 8 minutes 35 seconds

Cover artwork: Halos (1894) by Louis Welden Hawkins (1849-1910)
 

Reviews

‘Everything about this two-disc set is ideal. Few pianists could show more sympathy and affection for such volatile romanticism, or display greater stylistic consistency. This new set of the Preludes should be in any serious record collection’ (Gramophone)

‘Lane certainly knows how to tease out the music's textural subtleties; his emotional commitment is undeniable, as is his grasp of the poetic/virtuosic dichotomy inherent in Scriabin's music’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Lane is the perfect guide to Scriabin’s shimmering miniature masterpieces’ (The Independent)

‘To find contemporary performances that convey … aspects of the music more vividly and with greater sympathy, as well as with a good deal more technical refinement, one need look no further than Piers Lane’s recent traversal’ (International Record Review)

‘Lane's technical brilliance and assurance captures the most elusive qualities of this music, as one dream-vision dissolves into another … [his] control and balance of their veiled sonorities is wonder-filled’ (The Times)

‘Piers Lane is easily the master of all this … you get the sense this music is in his blood. The preludes have been well worth waiting for’ (Amazon.co.uk)

‘Lane's flawless finger and inspired brain are totally attuned to Scriabin's hyper-expressive sound world. Gorgeous, flattering sonics help elevate this recording to reference version status among complete Scriabin cycles. Bravo!’ (Classics Today)
Op 13 No 1 is a solemn chorale, No 2 an airborne moto perpetuo, No 3 reflective and still, with a delightful tertiary harmonic shift, No 4 agitated (here each hand gets a chance to provide the semiquaver movement), No 5 a gentle study in sixths rather like the A major Etude, Op 8 No 6, and No 6, a fine buildup in octaves with some kinship to Op 8 No 9 in C sharp minor, rounds off the set – both pieces attain grand climaxes but have quiet ‘dissolving’ endings, a characteristic feature of the later sonatas.

from notes by Simon Nicholls © 2001

L’opus 13 no1 est un choral solennel, le no2 un moto perpetuo aérien, le no3 pensif et calme, avec une délicieuse transformation harmonique, le no4 agité (chaque main s’y voit offrir une chance d’énoncer les doubles-croches du mouvement), le no5 une douce étude de sixtes évoquant l’Etude en la majeur opus 8 no6. Le recueil prend fin sur le no6, un travail d’octaves tout en finesse ressemblant parfois à l’opus 8 no9 en ut dièse mineur – les deux œuvres libèrent un paroxysme puissant mais s’illustrent par une conclusion tranquille qui se «dissout» pratiquement, une caractéristique des sonates à venir.

extrait des notes rédigées par Simon Nicholls © 2001
Français: Isabelle Battioni

Op. 13 Nr. 1 ist ein feierlicher Choral, Nr. 2 ein duftiges moto perpetuo, Nr. 3 nachdenklich und still mit einer entzückenden dreiteiligen harmonischen Verlagerung, Nr. 4 erregt (hier erhält jede Hand Gelegenheit, die Sechzehntelbewegung weiterzuführen), Nr.5 eine sanfte Übung in Sexten ähnlich der A-Dur-Etüde op.8 Nr. 6. Nr. 6, ein gelungener oktavischer Aufbau, der gewisse Ähnlichkeiten mit op. 8 Nr. 9 in cis-Moll aufweist, rundet die Zusammenstellung ab – beide Stücke erreichen prachtvolle Höhepunkte, haben jedoch einen ruhigen, ‘sich auflösenden’ Schluß, wie er für die späteren Sonaten tpyisch war.

aus dem Begleittext von Simon Nicholls © 2001
Deutsch: Anne Steeb/Bernd Müller

Other albums featuring this work

Scriabin: The Complete Préludes, Vol. 1
CDH55450Download only
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