Yevgeny Sudbin Plays Scriabin [Hybrid SACD]

(What) an introduction to Scriabin!

You may not know much about Mr. Sudbin at this point. You may be a recent pianophile, and may still be in a discovery mode about many piano pieces, especially the solo pieces, which the true piano experts and the long-time piano lovers may already be blasé about. Or, perhaps, you just wish to hear more Scriabin, since you have liked what you have heard so far, and you are considering getting Mr. Sudbin's recording to serve this purpose. You may think that the worst that can happen is that you will listen to the recording once, and then retire it to the quite sizeable pile of other unsuccessful recordings that I am sure you have purchased in the past.
You will be in for a fabulous surprise. I predict that you will become totally addicted to this recording, and that you will listen to it over and over again, without ever reaching a saturation point. At least this is what happened to me. Mr. Sudbin is plain fabulous. He sure got me going about Scriabin! After listening to Mr. Sudbin, I now love Scriabin, rather than just like him.
This CD portrays different styles of Scriabin. I was not crazy about Scriabin's Chopin period, however. I particularly liked more modern pieces, and especially the ones which are on the verge of being atonal. One can learn much about Scriabin's musical phases from Google, especially from the Wiki free on-line encyclopedia, and especially by listening to the Garrick Ohlsson's performance of Scriabin, interspersed by the insightful comments, on the St. Paul Sunday, a public radio program, which one can listen free on the web. Scriabin's life and his musical innovations are for sure worth learning about. In his music I just love the Russian Soul effects (it does help that I am of a Slavic origin). I know that I would complain if the performer would play the Russian Soul card, but with Mr. Sudbin it comes naturally, and I was entranced with it! Mr. Sudbin plays the dramatic sections with a magnificent thunder, the lyrical parts with a heart-aching beauty, and the impressionistic parts with whimsical moods. All these fine elements of Scriabin's work, as well as his exploration and experimentation with music, come alive in Sudbin's performance.
I will need to get more of Mr. Sudbin's recordings, since he is, in my mind, right there on the very top. Congratulations, Mr. Sudbin, on this recording, and thank you for giving us, the listeners, so much pleasure!
Needless to say, I give this recording five stars!
July 27, 2008

good but not fantastic

i looked forward to hearing this as i love scriabin and heard some wonderful things about this recording and artist. however i was not wowed and am somewhat underwhelmed by it. sorry. March 28, 2008

A Breathtaking Performance

Before listening to this disc I had read an interview with Yevgeny Sudbin that made mention of his deep immersion into the music of Alexander Scriabin. This recording certainly proves that Mr. Sudbin has indeed plumbed the depths of this music and given us an astonishing selection of works that follows the composer's progress during his life. Mr. Sudbin begins with the famous Etude, op. 8 No. 12 and the Chopinesque Sonata No. 2, both played without aggressive overindulgence. The even earlier Etude, op. 2 and Four Mazurkas, op. 3 are more romantic works with the later exploiting the dance-like quality of the form.

Mr. Sudbin jumps to the Sonata No. 5 (1907) that was written after Scriabin had completed his Fourth Symphony, the Poem of Ecstasy, and the first of his atonal works. The Fifth Sonata is quite a leap after the early pieces with the "light and ecstasy" of this music. We move from music inspired by Chopin to the exotic and luscious. The recital continues with Nuances and the Poeme, op 59 (1910) with the introduction of the "Mystic Chord." Mr. Sudbin moves on to the Sonata No. 9 (Black Mass) of 1913 in an electrifying performance that brings the mystical elements of the music to the fore. The CD closes with Valse, op. 38; a charming work that begins with a dreamy melody and continues with a charming interplay and returns to the dreamlike music of the opening, a magnificent piece for an encore.

I have the complete sonatas of Scriabin performed by Ruth Laredo - performances that I have considered to be beautifully executed. It was interesting to note that Mr. Sudbin's performances were longer by timing but had an intensity that was not present in Ms. Laredo's recording. I would not want to be without the Ruth Laredo set but Yevgeny Sudbin has given us the unvarnished Scriabin. The notes by Mr. Sudbin make very good reading and his insight into the music is probing and informative. The recording by BIS could not be better. My only wish would be for more music; at 57:23 another sonata could have been included. I do hope that Mr. Sudbin will record more Scriabin sometime soon.
March 7, 2008

Scriabin in all his facets

This album is an excellent cross-section of Scriabin's output, showing many facets of the composer's personality, all of it played fantastically by Sudbin. He brings out every electric detail of the music but somehow still keeps things moving, with a perfect sense for the idiom for each piece. Besides famous Scriabin pieces like the Etude Op. 8 No. 12 and the 2nd sonata, he includes some that are rarely recorded, like a few early mazurkas and that wonderfully wistful pastiche, the Waltz, Opus 38, which he gets exactly right, to the last note. I thought I never wanted to hear the "Black Mass" sonata again, having overdosed on Horowitz's recording of it, but Sudbin breathes new life, well no, breathes new death into this piece. Perhaps Mr. Sudbin is not as innocent as he looks on the cover. He even wrote the penetrating (and funny) liner notes. Whether you are new to Scriabin or a Scriabin junkie such as myself, this album is a winner. Here's hoping he records the 7th sonata some day (and the 8th, and the 6th, and the 10th). November 11, 2007

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