Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 10/10/2006, uploaded on 01/26/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Eight Etudes, Op. 42          Alexander Scriabin

This group of pieces was composed in 1903, in the same year as the Third Symphony (the Divine Poem), the longest piece Scriabin ever wrote. These etudes, in contrast, are very short-some of them last only a few seconds-but are gems of pure musicianship.  No. 1 in D-flat Major, marked presto, is characterized by a turbulent movement of arpeggios and rippled chords, metered in nines against fives. This polyrhythmic quality is typical of Scriabin's language.  No. 2 in f-sharp minor also has a polyrhythmic structure that creates a vague, restless atmosphere.  No. 3 in F-sharp Major is the famous "mosquito" etude.  A constant measured trill alternates between the two hands.  No. 4 in F-Sharp Major, andante, is a masterpiece of lyricism and intensity, and is one of the pearls of Scriabin's poetic genius.  No. 5 in c-sharp minor, affanato (breathlessly), is one of the composer's most famous works, and he performed it in concert many times. This is an authentic virtuoso etude because of its technical challenges.  No. 6 in D-flat Major, esaltato (excited), shows three melodic lines disposed on a restless meter of five against three.  No. 7 in f minor is a miniature of sombre, agitated emotion, lasting only a few bars.  No. 8 in e-flat minor finishes off the set by displaying once again a complex polyrhythmic combination, with a lyrical and profound middle section. (A. M. Ammara)

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.