If there is one defining feature of Scriabin’s output, whether at its most voluptuous or neurotic, it’s probably this: freedom. (And if there were two I’d probably nominate an obsessive attention to sonority as the second.) So many of Scriabin’s defining tendencies – polyrhythms, trills, vibrating arpeggios, grace notes, misplaced accents, dominant 7ths, extended or synthetic chordal harmony as substitute for tonality – are all designed to erase the sense of music as a deliberate, performative act, and to turn it into a kind of spontaneous, refulgent, *sensory* experience, whether that experience is expressive or (especially in his later years) mystical.
In this early set of preludes, encompassing all 24 keys, you can already see lots of Scriabinisms at work: notes arranged in groups of 5, with tuplets crossing barlines and accents placed such that that it’s basically impossible to hear the downbeats (Nos.1, 19), uneven or mixed meter (Nos.16, 21, 24), counterpoint of a particularly lush and exultant kind (Nos.7, 11), the use of quartal textures (No.1, No.24), polyrhythmic playfulness (No.1’s 5-against-3, Nos.3, 18, 24), dramatic melodies played entirely in octaves (Nos. 6, 14, 20) or fragmentary motifs arranged into winding, wistful two- or three-voice contrapuntal shapes (Nos. 2, 3, 5, 9, 13, 21-23). It’s a real shame this group of preludes is often gently dismissed as too unoriginal (Chopinesque), because It’s a gorgeous set, beautifully written, with not a single wasted or misplaced note, and which contains many wonderful moments. It’s nowhere near as radical as Scriabin’s later work, true, but its works perfectly on its own terms. (And originality is only a measure of historical importance, not musical quality.)
Both recordings here (in the unknown-but-really-excellent class) have the headily luminous quality of the best Scriabin playing, but are markedly different. Lettberg has a relaxed, languorous approach, focusing more on establishing a certain tone or mood than strictly maintaining the melodic line. Stanev’s playing is charged with excitement: he plays as freely as Lettberg, but more readily veers towards the impetuous end of the expressive spectrum, and also has a pretty nice way of handling the long lines in the slower preludes.
Lettberg:
00:00 – No.1, Vivace
00:54 – No.2, Allegretto
03:05 – No.3, Vivo
03:59 – No.4, Lento
06:06 – No.5, Andante cantabile
08:03 – No.6, Allegro
08:53 – No.7, Allegro assai
09:50 – No.8, Allegro agitato
11:20 – No.9, Andantino
13:09 – No.10, Andante
14:31 – No.11, Allegro assai
15:56 – No.12, Andante
17:41 – No.13, Lento
19:33 – No.14, Presto
20:31 – No.15, Lento
22:52 – No.16, Misterioso
25:15 – No.17, Allegretto
26:08 – No.18, Allegro agitato
27:00 – No.19, Affettuoso
28:06 – No.20, Appassionato
29:12 – No.21, Andante
30:46 – No.22, Lento
32:17 – No.23, Vivo
32:52 – No.24, Presto
Stanev:
33:46 – No.1, Vivace
34:39 – No.2, Allegretto
36:32 – No.3, Vivo
37:29 – No.4, Lento
38:58 – No.5, Andante cantabile
40:28 – No.6, Allegro
41:23 – No.7, Allegro assai
42:26 – No.8, Allegro agitato
44:20 – No.9, Andantino
45:37 – No.10, Andante
46:47 – No.11, Allegro assai
48:28 – No.12, Andante
49:49 – No.13, Lento
51:05 – No.14, Presto
52:05 – No.15, Lento
53:48 – No.16, Misterioso
55:45 – No.17, Allegretto
56:29 – No.18, Allegro agitato
57:28 – No.19, Affettuoso
58:39 –No.20, Appassionato
59:42 – No.21, Andante
1:01:28 – No.22, Lento
1:02:35 – No.23, Vivo
1:03:15 – No.24, Presto