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Track(s) taken from CDA67057/8

Quatre préludes, Op 31

composer
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)
1903

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: 5 minutes 24 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)
The four faces of Op 31 reveal characteristic Scriabin moods: Wagnerian opulence in No 1, imperious gestures and rhythms in the ‘con stravaganza’ of No 2, a shadowy chase ending in tragedy in No 3, and a strong flavour of harmonic experimentation in the brief No 4.

from notes by Simon Nicholls © 2001

Les quatre faces de l’opus 31 révèlent des traits du caractère scriabinesque : une opulence wagnérienne dans le no1, des gestes et rythmes impérieux dans le no2 «con stravaganza», une poursuite fantomatique qui se termine en tragédie dans le no3 et une forte saveur d’expérimentation harmonique dans le no4 tout en concision.

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

Die vier Gesichter von op. 31 zeigen für Skrjabin typische Stimmungen: Wagnersche Opulenz in Nr. 1, gebieterische Gesten und Rhythmen unter der Bezeichnung „con stravaganza“ in Nr. 2, eine schemenhafte Jagd mit tragischem Ausgang in Nr. 3 und ein starker Beigeschmack von experimenteller Harmonik im kurzen Prélude Nr. 4.

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

Other albums featuring this work

Scriabin: The Complete Préludes, Vol. 2
Piers Lane (piano)
CDH55451

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