Scriabin: Symphony No. 1 in E Major, Op. 26 & The Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54

Featuring

Mikhail Pletnev
Svetlana Shilova
Mikhail Gubsky
Vladislav Lavrik
Norbert Gembaczka
Russian National Orchestra

Moscow Conservatory Chamber Choir
Alexander Scriabin

Did you know?

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Critical Reception

The premiere of Le Poème de l'extase in Russia was a significant event, with young composition student Sergei Prokofiev noting that its harmonic and thematic material was unlike anything he had heard before.

Composition History

Scriabin's First Symphony includes a monumental choral finale with his own text, which was initially deemed unperformable by his publishers due to the vocal parts' tessitura.

Performer Biography

Mikhail Pletnev, the conductor, won the Gold Medal and First Prize at the 1978 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition at just 21 years old.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Scriabin, who experienced synesthesia, aimed to make the colors he saw when hearing chords visible to listeners using a self-invented color keyboard.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded at DZZ Studio 5 in Moscow, Russia, in March 2014, with the organ recorded separately at St. Ludwig-Kirche in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Germany.

Compositional Technique

Scriabin's First Symphony expands the traditional four-movement form with an introductory movement and a choral finale, similar to Beethoven's Ninth and Mahler's Second symphonies.