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Track(s) taken from CDA67057/8

Cinq préludes, Op 15

composer
1895/6

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: 7 minutes 18 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 15 is on a small scale: No 1 is an inconsequential improvisation on an unpretentious turn figure, No 2 a moto perpetuo, originally marked ‘agitato’ – a marking later replaced by a more non-commital ‘vivo’. There are two E major preludes in Op 15: No 3 is an expansive essay in arpeggiated chords while No 4 is a peaceful miniature. The meandering rubato of No 5 closes this rather introverted set.

from notes by Simon Nicholls © 2001

L’opus 15 est de proportions réduites: le no1 est une improvisation anodine sur une tournure sans prétentions. Autre moto perpetuo, le no2 portait initialement l’indication «agitato» qui fut remplacée par la suite par un «vivo» moins exigeant. L’opus 15 comprend deux préludes en mi majeur: le no3, un ample essai en accords arpégés et le no4, une miniature paisible. Le rubato sinueux du no5 conclut ce recueil plutôt introverti.

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

Op. 15 ist in kleine Maßstab angelegt: Nr. 1 ist eine belanglose Improvisation über eine bescheidene Doppelschlagfigur, Nr. 2 ein weiteres moto perpetuo, das ursprünglich mit „agitato“ bezeichnet war – eine Angabe, die später durch das unverfänglichere „vivo“ ersetzt wurde. Zwei Préludes von op. 15 stehen in E-Dur: Nr. 3 ist ein weitschweifiger Versuch in arpeggierten Akkorden, Nr. 4 eine friedliche Miniatur. Das gewundene Rubato von Nr. 5 beschließt diese eher introvertierte Sammlung.

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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