Considering Scriabin’s long-standing ‘love affair’ with Chopin’s music, it is surprising that he should have written so few nocturnes. Indeed, the
Two Nocturnes Op 5, written in 1890, have only the faintest suggestion of reflective ‘night music’ and could as easily have been titled ‘impromptus’ or ‘poems’. Both pieces display an increased sensuousness and rhythmic freedom together with a more confident and daring use of harmony. Scriabin would write only one other nocturne, the second of his
Two Pieces for Left Hand Op 9 (his later
Poème-nocturne Op 61 being far more ‘poème’ than ‘nocturne’). Both works for left hand were written as a consequence of a nearly disastrous injury to his right hand. Having always been the darling of his teachers and relatives, Scriabin found himself by 1891 with stiff competition. His fellow students at the Moscow Conservatory included Rachmaninov, Josef Hofmann and Josef Lhévinne and due to over-practice of Balakirev’s
Islamey and Liszt’s
Réminiscences de Don Juan, Scriabin temporarily lost the full use of his right hand. Both the
Prelude and the
Nocturne are lovely works, and despite his setback Scriabin still seems intent on proving his ability as a pianist by turning the
Nocturne in particular into a technical tour de force.
from notes by Stephen Coombs © 2001
