This album focuses on early works by Scriabin and Rachmaninoff that share the theme of 'fantasy', though Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata is a middle-period work.
Performer Biography
Pianist Kotaro Fukuma won First Prize and the Chopin Prize at the 15th Cleveland International Piano Competition.
Composition History
Scriabin composed two pieces for the left hand, including the Nocturne on this album, after injuring his right hand from excessive piano practice.
Compositional Technique
Scriabin's Sonata-Fantasy in G-sharp minor, written when he was 14, includes demanding intervals like consecutive tenths and a thirteenth, possibly reflecting his desire for larger hands.
Composer Biography
Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Rachmaninoff were rivals at the Moscow Conservatory, with Rachmaninoff placing first and Scriabin second in the 1891 piano final exam.
Composer's Artistic Vision
After their conservatory days, Scriabin's musical style drastically changed as he became drawn to Nietzsche's Übermensch theory and Blavatsky's theosophy, leading to his 'music of mysticism'.
Compositional Technique
Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 2 features a first movement motif that recurs throughout the second and third movements, unifying the entire work.
