Scriabin: 24 Preludes, Op.11 (Lettberg, Stanev)

If there is one defining feature of Scriabin’s output, whether at its most voluptuous or neurotic, it’s probably this: freedom. (And if there were two I’d probably nominate an obsessive attention to sonority as the second.) So many of Scriabin’s defining tendencies – polyrhythms, trills, vibrating arpeggios, grace notes, misplaced accents, dominant 7ths, extended or synthetic chordal harmony as substitute for tonality – are all designed to erase the sense of music as a deliberate, performative act, and to turn it into a kind of spontaneous, refulgent, sensory experience, whether that experience is expressive or (especially in his later years) mystical. In this early set of preludes, encompassing all 24 keys, you can already see lots of Scriabinisms at work: notes arranged in groups of 5, with tuplets crossing barlines and accents placed such that that it’s basically impossible to hear the downbeats (Nos.1, 19), uneven or mixed meter (Nos.16, 21, 24), counterpoint of a particularly lush and exultant kind (Nos.7, 11), the use of quartal textures (No.1, No.24), polyrhythmic playfulness (No.1’s 5-against-3, Nos.3, 18, 24), dramatic melodies played entirely in octaves (Nos. 6, 14, 20) or fragmentary motifs arranged into winding, wistful two- or three-voice contrapuntal shapes (Nos. 2, 3, 5, 9, 13, 21-23). It’s a real shame this group of preludes is often gently dismissed as too unoriginal (Chopinesque), because It’s a gorgeous set, beautifully written, with not a single wasted or misplaced note, and which contains many wonderful moments. It’s nowhere near as radical as Scriabin’s later work, true, but its works perfectly on its own terms. (And originality is only a measure of historical importance, not musical quality.) Both recordings here (in the unknown-but-really-excellent class) have the headily luminous quality of the best Scriabin playing, but are markedly different. Lettberg has a relaxed, languorous approach, focusing more on establishing a certain tone or mood than strictly maintaining the melodic line. Stanev’s playing is charged with excitement: he plays as freely as Lettberg, but more readily veers towards the impetuous end of the expressive spectrum, and also has a pretty nice way of handling the long lines in the slower preludes. Lettberg: 00:00 – No.1, Vivace 00:54 – No.2, Allegretto 03:05 – No.3, Vivo 03:59 – No.4, Lento 06:06 – No.5, Andante cantabile 08:03 – No.6, Allegro 08:53 – No.7, Allegro assai 09:50 – No.8, Allegro agitato 11:20 – No.9, Andantino 13:09 – No.10, Andante 14:31 – No.11, Allegro assai 15:56 – No.12, Andante 17:41 – No.13, Lento 19:33 – No.14, Presto 20:31 – No.15, Lento 22:52 – No.16, Misterioso 25:15 – No.17, Allegretto 26:08 – No.18, Allegro agitato 27:00 – No.19, Affettuoso 28:06 – No.20, Appassionato 29:12 – No.21, Andante 30:46 – No.22, Lento 32:17 – No.23, Vivo 32:52 – No.24, Presto Stanev: 33:46 – No.1, Vivace 34:39 – No.2, Allegretto 36:32 – No.3, Vivo 37:29 – No.4, Lento 38:58 – No.5, Andante cantabile 40:28 – No.6, Allegro 41:23 – No.7, Allegro assai 42:26 – No.8, Allegro agitato 44:20 – No.9, Andantino 45:37 – No.10, Andante 46:47 – No.11, Allegro assai 48:28 – No.12, Andante 49:49 – No.13, Lento 51:05 – No.14, Presto 52:05 – No.15, Lento 53:48 – No.16, Misterioso 55:45 – No.17, Allegretto 56:29 – No.18, Allegro agitato 57:28 – No.19, Affettuoso 58:39 –No.20, Appassionato 59:42 – No.21, Andante 1:01:28 – No.22, Lento 1:02:35 – No.23, Vivo 1:03:15 – No.24, Presto