Masterpieces

In 1905, at age 33, Alexander Scriabin was already a star in the firmament of Russian music. Behind him were three symphonies and well over a hundred piano works. A gifted pianist (at the Moscow Conservatory, only fellow student Serge Rachmaninoff scored higher at graduation), Scriabin played recitals of his own music to full houses. As a composer, performances of his works attracted audiences from Russia, Europe, and America.

This superb compilation of 29 works includes many that are considered masterpieces of 20th-century pianism. Primarily short pieces, they reflect the highly atmospheric and exotic style of the composer's maturity — a period when Scriabin was most deeply affected by his mystical vision of a "new" music. Included are Poème satanique, Danse languide, Enigme, Désir, Caresse dansée, Guirlander, and Flammes sombres, among others. The collection also features the complete Fifth Sonata along with four of Scriabin's most popular and frequently recorded works: the poetic Etude in C-sharp minor, the brilliant Etude in D-sharp minor (a Horowitz favorite), the Nocturne in D-flat for Left Hand Alone, and the world-famous Vers la flamme.

Now brought together in a single, authoritative, inexpensive edition, this fine collection of masterly compositions will be a significant addition to the score libraries of all pianists and devotees of Scriabin's music.