Scriabin: Poème Aile, Op. 51 No. 3

This recording was conceived as a portrait of the artist through the mosaic of his works, proceeding in chronological order – from the age of innocence to the age of experience.

These pieces with their ‘revolutionary’ harmony took the piano into the 20th century. They are a challenge to the interpreter, as they have to master both the spiritual and technical aspects of this composer’s art. Pascal Amoyel more than rises to the challenge. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and is both a pianist and composer.

Scriabin’s cycle of Piano Sonatas is one of the most visionary and dramatic in the canon. The First dates from 1892, written at a time of crisis in his life, and is a passionate, emotionally unstable work, whilst No. 4, completed over a decade later, embodies the new developments in his stylistic armoury. The Eighth was the last of the ten to be completed, and it approaches the zenith of Scriabin’s art in its intricacy, poetry and complex tapestry of textures. The Poèmes and Morceaux represent, in even more concentrated form, the harmonic allure of Scriabin’s writing. The youngest ever laureate of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1994, and winner of the 2007 Cleveland International Piano Competition, Alexander Ghindin has established himself as a major pianist of distinction.

‘He played like a god – he looked like a god’ Heinrich Neuhaus

Vladimir Sofronitsky was born in St Petersburg in 1901, the youngest of 6 children. He studied in Warsaw with Anna Lebedeva-Getsevich, a pupil of Anton Rubinstein, and, on the recommendation of Glazunov, further studies with Alexander Michalowski.

Michalowski was a pupil of Moscheles, Reinecke and Tausig, so the Beethoven – Mendelssohn – Liszt line was seamless. Composition classes with Maximillian Steinberg (Rimsky’s son-in-law) followed as did a period of study with Leonid Nikolayev, who also taught Shostakovich. In 1917, Scriabin’s daughter Elena enrolled under Nikolayev, and she and Sofronitzky married in 1920 and moved to Paris, where their circle included members of the Scriabin family, Glazunov, Prokofiev (a good friend), Medtner and Cortot. In July 1945 he played for Stalin, Gromyko, President Truman and Churchill at the Potsdam Conference. His career revolved around concerts, recording and teaching, and his repertoire was broad – from Bach and Scarlatti, Clementi, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, to Chopin and Liszt, Schumann, a little late Brahms, a little Ravel and Debussy and Poulenc. Russian repertoire included Balakirev’s Islamey, and Tchikovsky’s Seasons and some Liadov. Scriabin reigns supreme (except the 7th Sonata ‘White Mass’ Sofronitzky was superstitious), Glazunov, Medtner, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich also figure prominently. During the Cold War, he took a shine to Glenn Gould, and Van Cliburn, and Lazar Berman was a disciple.

‘I would proceed to the concert as if going on a blind date, anticipating something completely unknown, mysterious and wonderful, in other words, a miracle! He approached the piano and the magic began’ Stanislav Neuhaus, Recollections