Scriabin's Sonata No. 5 is preceded by a motto from his own poem, 'Le Poème de l'extase', reflecting a journey from mysterious darkness to bold advancement.
Compositional Technique
The Sonata No. 2, 'Sonate-Fantaisie', was composed during Scriabin's visits to the sea, including the Baltic coast, Genoa, and the Black Sea.
Composer Biography
Alexander Scriabin, the composer, studied composition with Sergei Taneyev and Anton Arensky at the Moscow Conservatory.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Scriabin's later works, including Sonata No. 5, move away from traditional tonality, using a unique harmonic system of pure and augmented fourths, whole-tone scales, and other techniques.
Compositional Technique
Scriabin's Préludes feature a unique rhythmic character, with elastic relationships between time signatures and rhythmic figures that often cross bar lines.
Composition History
Scriabin's 24 Préludes op. 11 were commissioned by the publisher Mitrofan Belyayev and emulate Chopin's 24 Préludes op. 28 in form and key arrangement.
Composer Biography
Scriabin was supported by a benefactress, Margarita Morozova (wife of a rich textile manufacturer), and publisher Mitrofan Belyayev (a timber industrialist).
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Scriabin: Preludes, Etudes & Sonatas Nos. 4 & 5
Talon Smith: Debut
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.2 in G Sharp Minor, Op. 19 "Sonata Fantasy"
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 23: III. Andante
Rachmaninoff: Études-tableaux, Op. 39 (& Works by Scriabin & Prokofiev)
