Alexander Scriabin

Russian modernist composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin was born in Moscow on 6 January 1872 (new style date system) and was influenced early in his career by the music of Chopin, producing early tonal works. Later he developed a more dissonant, atonal and mystical musical style.

Another important influence was synesthesia - he 'saw' music as colours and developed a colour-coded circle of fifths. Scriabin's music generated a great deal of controversy. He influenced a wide range of composers including Szymanowski, Stravinsky, Sorabji, Roslavets and Prokofiev.

Scriabin died in Moscow on 27 April 1915 (NS), aged forty-three. After his death, his music was rather suddenly ignored, but his output was re-evaluated and re-discovered from the 1970s onwards.

 

A selection of articles about Alexander Scriabin

Profile. To Vladivostok With Thanks - Memories of the Russian pianist and teacher Vadim Suchanov (1949-2024) from Béla Hartmann

Classical music news. February 2024 Newsletter and other news - Our February 2024 PDF newsletter has just been published, and amongst other items of news, we also feature a conversation between Tamami Honma and Barry Cooper

Echoes of Oblivion by Robert McCarney - What's in a number?

Ensemble. Rediscovering Scriabin - Italian pianist Mariangela Vacatello plays Scriabin from memory, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

Echoes of Oblivion by Robert McCarney - Fragments of Utopia

Classical music news. Bard Music Festival - Bard Music Festival, beginning 5 August 2022, explores the life and times of one of the last great romantics in 'Rachmaninoff and His World'

CD Spotlight. Dreams and Tales - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to piano music by Musorgsky and Scriabin played by Michele Campanella. '... the different touch from previous renderings makes this CD very well worth listening to.'

CD Spotlight. New York, New York - Giuseppe Pennisi is impressed by Joanne Chang's piano recital featuring music by Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, Ernesto Lecuona and May Aufderheide. 'She is very passionate and sweet ...'

Ensemble. Three Operas in Three Different Styles - Anett Fodor reports from Miskolc on La bohème, The Golden Dragon, Duke Bluebeard's Castle and a symphonic work by Scriabin

Classical music news. Bartók Plus - A short preview of the Bartók Plus Opera Festival in Miskolc, Hungary

Ensemble. Three Premieres in Rome - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to music by Ivan Fidele, Taneyev, Scriabin and Stravinsky

CD Spotlight. Highly Significant - Piano music by Leonid Sabaneyev impresses Gerald Fenech. '... a triumph for Jonathan Powell ... compelling dedication and zest ...'

CD Spotlight. Expertly Sculpted - James Brawn's time traveller recital delights Andrew Schartmann. 'Each time a passage repeats ... Brawn shows us something new.'

Refreshingly Wide-ranging - A recital by Korean pianist Jenna Sung, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Shifting Moods - Catalan pianist Eudald Buch at the Buxton Festival, heard by Mike Wheeler

Memorable Distinction - Halida Dinova brings her Liszt to New Zealand, by Howard Smith

CD Spotlight. Treasurable Renditions - Sokolov at Salzburg, strongly recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... Sokolov's playing is mesmerizing throughout ...'

CD Spotlight. Musical Gallimaufry - Ivan Ilic plays Scriabin and American music, heard by Howard Smith. '... eight tracks of acceptable Scriabin ...'

CD Spotlight. White Mass - Andrei Korobeinikov plays Scriabin, heard by Howard Smith. '... vividly performed ...'

Ensemble. Depth and Elegance - Giuseppe Pennisi visits the Printemps des Arts in Monte Carlo

Mount Olympus - Andrew Schartmann listens to Evgeny Kissin

Andrew Schartmann's Musical Tidbits - The 'Physics' of Music. On Musical Momentum and its Compositional Implications

Fun-and-games Time - Mike Wheeler listens to Venetian pianist Alessandro Taverna

Ensemble. 2011 Specials - A roundup of London concerts enjoyed by Bill Newman, featuring recitals by Alice Sara Ott, the Emerson Quartet, Martin Fröst and Roland Pontinen, the Orchestra of the Polish EU Presidency, Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä and Roope Grondahl, and Martino Tirimo's Rosamunde Trio

CD Spotlight. Lyric Expressiveness - Russian music for cello and piano, recommended by Howard Smith. '... much here to praise ...'

Ensemble. Beautifully Played - Bill Newman attends two orchestral concerts at London's Royal Festival Hall

Ensemble. Serious Intentions - Bill Newman listens to Stephen Hough

CD Spotlight. Unaffected Restraint - Halida Dinova plays music that tells stories, heard by Howard Smith. '... a mesmerising interpreter ...'

Ensemble. Musical Outlooks - Bill Newman attends a selection of concerts at London's Wigmore Hall

Command and Panache - Russian pianist Rustem Kudoyarov, heard by Mary Isaac

CD Spotlight. Striking Musicianship - Elena Kuschnerova plays Prokofiev, heard by Howard Smith. '... sparkling, lyrical and appropriately balletic ...'

Liquid Finger-work - Mike Wheeler listens to a piano recital by Cordelia Williams

Ensemble. A Cross Section - Bill Newman comments on some recent concerts at London's Wigmore Hall

CD Spotlight. Musical Finesse - Songs by Gregg Kallor, recommended by Howard Smith. 'Go to the top of the class.'

CD Spotlight. Very Powerful - Orchestral music by Vytautas Bacevicius, reviewed by Gordon Rumson. 'He had much to say and said it very well.'

A Dexterous Journey - Alessandro Taverna at London's Steinway Hall, reviewed by Bill Newman

Ensemble. Exceptional Gifts - Lawrence Budmen reports from the 2009 Miami International Piano Festival

Intrinsic Virtue - A concert and Handel exhibition at London's Foundling Museum, reviewed by Malcolm Miller

CD Spotlight. Structurally Important - Evgeni Mikhailov's Scriabin sonatas impress Patric Standford. '... commanding performances of powerful works ...'

Record Box. Unjustly Neglected - Violin concertos by Nikolay Roslavets impress Gerald Fenech

CD Spotlight. Fascinating Rarities - Taneyev string trios, heard by Julian Jacobson. '... a performance of real commitment and assurance ...'

Ensemble. Distant Sound - LA Opera's 'Recovered Voices', reviewed by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. Boundaries of the Possible - Malcolm Miller admires Simon Bainbridge's new BBC commission, 'Diptych'

CD Spotlight. Sparkle and Polish - Robin Zebaida plays piano rarities, enjoyed by Bill Newman. '... musical appeal is immediate.'

CD Spotlight. Profound Commitment - Jenny Lin recovers buried historical treasure, appreciated by Gordon Rumson

CD Spotlight. An Audacious Performer - A recital by Mikhail Zemtsov, reviewed by Howard Smith

A Force to Reckon With - Malcolm Miller enjoys a Wigmore Hall recital by the young Bulgarian pianist Vesselin Stanev

Ensemble. Bravura virtuosity - Lawrence Budmen was at the Miami International Piano Festival

CD Spotlight. A poetic approach - Eric Le Van plays Scriabin mazurkas, reviewed by John Bell Young. '... always elegant, meticulously adjudicated, and discreetly inflected.'

Performing practices - Pianist Danny Driver talks to Bill Newman

CD Spotlight. Romantic voice - John Bell Young listens to Kuschnerova playing Scriabin

CD Spotlight. An aviator of the piano - A unique recording of Russian pianist Samuel Feinberg, reviewed by John Bell Young

CD Spotlight - Eclatant, Lumineux. 'Mr Bekhterev emerges as one of the greatest Scriabin interpreters of all.' Boris Bekhterev plays Scriabin, reviewed by John Bell Young

Scriabin on disc - An overview of the recorded music of Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) by John Bell Young