Scriabin – Le Poème de l’Extase, Piano Concerto, Prometheus (FLAC)

Composed by Alexander Scriabin
Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ambrosian Singers
Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Lorin Maazel
Audio CD
SPARS Code: A-D
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Decca
Size: 306 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# Le Poème de l’extase (Poem of Ecstasy), symphony [No. 4] in C major, Op. 54
Composed by Alexander Scriabin
Performed by Cleveland Orchestra
with Vladimir Ashkenazy
Conducted by Lorin Maazel

# Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op. 20
Composed by Alexander Scriabin
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
with Vladimir Ashkenazy
Conducted by Lorin Maazel

# Symphony No. 5 in F sharp major for piano, organ, chorus & orchestra (“Prometheus, Poem of Fire”), Op. 60
Composed by Alexander Scriabin
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
with Ambrosian Singers, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Conducted by Lorin Maazel

01. Le Poème De L’Extase, Op.54
02. Piano Concerto In F Sharp Minor, Op.20 – 1. Allegro
03. Piano Concerto In F Sharp Minor, Op.20 – 2. Andante
04. Piano Concerto In F Sharp Minor, Op.20 – 3. Allegro
05. Promethée – Le Poème Du Feu, Op.60

An Essential Scriabin CD!

Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to this CD at a local college listening library. I had heard the recordings before, but I wanted to refresh the works in my mind because they are such important works in the musical repertoire.

Vladimir Ashkenazy gives great, emotional performances of the Scriabin Piano Concerto in F-sharp Minor and “Prometheus.” His playing is deep, insightful, romantic, and powerful.

Ashkenazy plays the Piano Concerto with power and dramatic flair. His technique is formidable, but it never reached the level of, say, Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu or Krystian Zimerman. Not all the notes are clear, and Ashkenazy tends to get loud and “bangy” many times. However, his forces at key climaxes is usually warranted. Maazel and the orchestra give beautiful, powerful, expert accompaniments. Their sound is full and red-blooded. Unfortunately, the mono sound does not do justice to the performance, and the acoustic is a bit blurred and stuffy.

Maazel and the orchestra give an expert reading of the “Poem of Ecstasy.” It brings out the strange, mystical harmonies that fascinated and occupied Scriabin. Maazel does an excellent job leading the orchestra through the quiet, mysterious beginning to the end, a spectacular, climax rarely encountered in music. You must hear it to believe it. It is completely over the top!! The solo trumpet, flute, and violin are outstanding.

“Promotheus” is giving a very convincing reading. Of course, Ashkenazy plays the piano part, and his contribution is great. Maazel and the players do a fantastic job bringing out the orchestral textures and bizarre Scriabin harmonies. It is another incredible musical experience.

Overall, I highly recommend this CD. I wrote a review on the Anatol Ugorski/Pierre Boulez recording of these same works. I have a definite preference for the Ugorski/Boulez performances, but these are wonderful, perhaps essential, too. Ashkenazy and Maazel emphasize power, emotion, and sonic output, while Ugorski and Boulez emphasize clarity, musical line, and precision. The choice is yours.