Scriabin: Complete Preludes Dmitri Alexeev

• Alexander Scriabin (1871 - 1915): 3 Morceaux No. 2, Op. 2:
• 1 3 Morceaux No. 2, Op. 2: II. Prelude in B Major 00:48
• Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9:
• 2 Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9: I. Prelude in C-Sharp Minor 02:42
• 24 Preludes, Op. 11:
• 3 24 Preludes, Op. 11: I. Vivace in C Major 00:59
• 4 24 Preludes, Op. 11: II. Allegretto in A Minor 01:59
• 5 24 Preludes, Op. 11: III. Vivo in G Major 01:02
• 6 24 Preludes, Op. 11: IV. Lento in E Minor 01:42
• 7 24 Preludes, Op. 11: V. Andante cantabile in D Major 01:26
• 8 24 Preludes, Op. 11: VI. Allegro in B Minor 00:49
• 9 24 Preludes, Op. 11: VII. Allegro assai in A Major 00:52
• 10 24 Preludes, Op. 11: VIII. Allegro agitato in F-Sharp Minor 01:41
• 11 24 Preludes, Op. 11: IX. Andantino in E Major 01:12
• 12 24 Preludes, Op. 11: X. Andante in C-Sharp Minor 01:04
• 13 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XI. Allegro assai in B Major 01:24
• 14 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XII. Andante in G-Sharp Minor 01:29
• 15 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XIII. Lento in G-Flat Major 01:40
• 16 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XIV. Presto in E-Flat Minor 01:11
• 17 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XV. Lento in D-Flat Major 02:00
• 18 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XVI. Misterioso in B-Flat Minor 02:29
• 19 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XVII. Allegretto in A-Flat Major 00:35
• 20 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XVIII. Allegro agitato in F Minor 01:01
• 21 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XIX. Affettuoso in E-Flat Major 01:14
• 22 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XX. Appassionato in C Minor 01:04
• 23 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XXI. Andante in B-Flat Major 01:42
• 24 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XXII. Lento in G Minor 01:01
• 25 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XXIII. Vivo in F Major 00:48
• 26 24 Preludes, Op. 11: XXIV. Presto in D Minor 01:02
• Alexander Scriabin:
• 27 Prelude No. 1 in C Major, Op. 13 02:21
• 28 Prelude No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13 00:42
• 29 Prelude No. 3 in G Major, Op. 13 00:56
• 30 Prelude No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 13 01:24
• 31 Prelude No. 5 in D Major, Op. 13 01:05
• 32 Prelude No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 13 01:38
• 33 Prelude No. 1 in A Major, Op. 15 01:40
• 34 Prelude No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 15 01:04
• 35 Prelude No. 3 in E Major, Op. 15 01:04
• 36 Prelude No. 4 in E Major, Op. 15 01:24
• 37 Prelude No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 15 01:07
• 38 Prelude No. 1 in B Major, Op. 16 01:59
• 39 Prelude No. 2 in G-Sharp Minor, Op. 16 01:21
• 40 Prelude No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 16 02:02
• 41 Prelude No. 4 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 16 01:11
• 42 Prelude No. 5 in F-Sharp Major 00:54
• 43 Prelude No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 17 01:41
• 44 Prelude No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 17 00:52
• 45 Prelude No. 3 in D-Flat Major, Op. 17 01:50
• 46 Prelude No. 4 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 17 01:05
• 47 Prelude No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 17 01:16
• 48 Prelude No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 17 01:17
• 49 Prelude No. 7 in G Minor, Op. 17 01:37
• 50 Prelude No. 1 in G-Sharp Minor, Op. 22 01:22
• 51 Prelude No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 22 00:53
• 52 Prelude No. 3 in B Major, Op. 22 01:07
• 53 Prelude No. 4 in B Minor, Op. 22 01:15
• 54 Prelude No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27 02:04
• 55 Prelude No. 2 in B Major, Op. 27 01:04
• 56 Prelude No. 1 in D-Flat Major, Op. 31 02:19
• 57 Prelude No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 31 00:51
• 58 Prellude No. 3 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 31 00:40
• 59 Prelude No. 4 in C Major, Op. 31 01:07
• 60 Prelude No. 1 in E Major, Op. 33 01:09
• 61 Prelude No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 33 00:58
• 62 Prelude No. 3 in C Major, Op. 33 00:31
• 63 Prelude No. 4 in A-Flat Major 01:10
• 64 Prelude No. 1 in D-Flat Major, Op. 35 01:03
• 65 Prelude No. 2 in B-Fflat Major, Op. 35 02:28
• 66 Prelude No. 3 in C Major, Op. 35 01:12
• 67 Prelude No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 37 01:43
• 68 Prelude No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 37 01:02
• 69 Prelude No. 3 in B Major, Op. 37 01:46
• 70 Prelude No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 37 01:06
• 71 Prelude No. 1 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 39 00:54
• 72 Prelude No. 2 in D Major, Op. 39 01:12
• 73 Prelude No. 3 in G Major, Op. 39 01:16
• 74 Prelude No. 4 in A-Flat Major, Op. 39 00:51
• 3 Morceaux, Op. 45:
• 75 3 Morceaux, Op. 45: III. Prelude in E-Flat Major 01:15
• Alexander Scriabin:
• 76 Prelude No. 1 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 48 00:42
• 77 Prelude No. 2 in C Major, Op. 48 01:19
• 78 Prelude No. 3 in D-Flat Major, Op. 48 00:56
• 79 Prelude No. 4 in C Major, Op. 48 01:02
• 3 Morceaux, Op. 49:
• 80 3 Morceaux, Op. 49: II. Prelude in F Major 00:55
• 4 Morceaux, Op. 51:
• 81 4 Morceaux, Op. 51: II. Prelude in A Minor 02:02
• 4 Morceaux, Op. 56:
• 82 4 Morceaux, Op. 56: I. Prelude in E-Flat Major 01:08
• 2 Morceaux, Op. 59:
• 83 2 Morceaux, Op. 59: II. Prelude 01:46
• Alexander Scriabin:
• 84 Prelude No. 1, Op. 67 01:23
• 85 Prelude No. 2, Op. 67 00:57
• 5 Preludes, Op. 74:
• 86 5 Preludes, Op. 74: I. Douloureux, déchirant 01:16
• 87 5 Preludes, Op. 74: II. Très lent, contemplative 04:57
• 88 5 Preludes, Op. 74: III. Allegro drammatico 00:55
• 89 5 Preludes, Op. 74: IV. Lent, vague, indécis 01:19
• 90 5 Preludes, Op. 74: V. Fier, belliqueux 01:03
• Total Runtime 02:00:24

Info for Scriabin: Complete Preludes

The 90 preludes composed by Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) span the entirety of the three periods into which his musical career is usually divided. His fastidious habit of indicating the date and location of compositions allows us to trace groups of roughly contemporary pieces. Consequently, it can be seen that around half of the preludes fall into the ‘first period’ (1888–1900), in which the composer’s music was heavily influenced by Frédéric Chopin’s work.

Scriabin’s music evolved over the course of his life, and in 1900, he completed the 2 Preludes Op.27. These compositions exorcised the spirit of Chopin which had hovered over their predecessors, therefore marking the end of the so-called ‘first period’. Whilst more harmonically adventurous, his ‘middle period’ works still mostly adhere to traditional functional tonality.

In the third period (1910–14) Scriabin composed his final works, the Preludes Op.74. Stable tonality and key signature disappear completely. However, Scriabin’s interest in symmetrical patterning is highly evident. They raise the tantalising question of where Scriabin might have taken 20th-century music had he not tragically died the following year.

Dmitri Alexeev is one of the foremost Russian pianists of today. He played with all important orchestras and conductors, and extensively recorded for EMI. His previous Scriabin recording for Brilliant Classics include the Complete Sonatas and the Complete Études, both were hailed enthusiastically by the international press: “He emphasizes the music’s lyrical beauty without sacrificing energy or forward mobility…few recordings are so intrinsically beautiful as Alexeev’s.” Jed Distler on Classicstoday.

"Scriabin fans today have a much wider selection of complete recordings of the piano sonatas than in years past, and the growing number of sets not only shows how these works have been accepted as standard repertoire, but also that more pianists have mastered their difficulties. While the first three sonatas have ready familiarity with listeners, cast as they are in the Romantic mold of Chopin and Liszt, the remaining seven have had a checkered career, not only because they display Scriabin's increasing complexity of textures, rhythms, and dissonances, but also because they are among the most technically demanding to play. Dmitri Alexeev's 2012 twofer on Brilliant Classics offers proof that all the sonatas are now mainstream, because his interpretations diverge very little from the norms established by such brilliant pianists as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Roberto Szidon, Robert Taub, Maria Lettberg, and Marc-André Hamelin, and the facility with which he performs them reflects the supreme virtuosity that has become expected of major pianists. When collections of the sonatas are placed side by side, it can be excruciating to select just one, but knowing that this one is a worthy competitor makes it a reasonable choice, especially for beginners just learning the mysteries of Scriabin's music. Brilliant's reproduction is quite good, but be aware that it sometimes picks up the pianist's breathing." (Blair Sanderson, AMG)

Dmitri Alexeev, piano

Dmitri Alexeev
Russian pianist Dmitri Alexeev is one of the world's most highly regarded artists. His critically praised recitals on the world's leading concert stages and his concert appearances with the most prestigious orchestras have secured his position as one of "the most remarkable pianists of the day" (Daily Telegraph).

He has performed with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, the five London orchestras, Orchestre de Paris, Israel Philharmonic and the Munich Bavarian Radio Orchestra amongst others. He has worked with conductors such as Ashkenazy, Boulez, Svetlanov, Dorati, Gergiev, Giulini, Jansons, Muti, Pappano, Rozhdestvensky, Salonen, Temirkanov, Tilson Thomas and Klaus Tennstedt to name just a few.

During recent seasons he was the Artistic Director of the Leeds International Recital Series, and for the 2013-14 season he was appointed Artistic Director (and Artist in Residence) of a concert series in Arnhem and Nijmegen, in the Netherlands. Alexeev has been a juror for many of the world’s most prestigious International Piano Competitions, including the Leeds, Chopin (Warsaw), Van Cliburn, Santander, Beethoven (Vienna) and Tchaikovsky (Moscow). He gives masterclasses regularly around the world.

Dmitri Alexeev has made many fine recordings for EMI, BMG, Virgin Classics, Hyperion and Russian labels. His discs include piano concertos by Schumann, Grieg, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Scriabin, Medtner and solo works by Bach, Brahms, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev. Following his Virgin Classics recording of the complete Rachmaninov Preludes, which won the Edison Award in the Netherlands, BBC Music Magazine said: "He is a pianist at once aristocratic, grand and confessionally poetic. This is an inspiring disc."

In December 2012, his recording of Scriabin’s complete Piano Sonatas was released on Brilliant Classic. This was followed by a recording of Scriabin’s complete Etudes, released in November 2015. In 2017, Alexeev will continue his Scriabin recording project with a disc of the complete Preludes. His recording of the complete Chopin Mazurkas was released in 2014.

This album contains no booklet.