What Scriabin’s piano sounds like
mainThis is Vladimir Sofronitsky playing Scriabin Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp minor, Op. 23, on the composer’s own piano.
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Spine-chilling…the greatest Scriabin pianist with an added dimension!
Agreed, Julian (and I agree withA.L., too).
Tremendous and highly individual pianist, the equal of any in the pantheon of the best.
Blocky sound. Bass is oddly treble-rich. Surprising if this was his only piano. Strangely seems as if the sounds could be far-reaching. The overtones quickly begin to lack when notes are easily hammered on this piano.
Judge a piano by a crappy recording?
Certainly in better recorded sounded than most of his Scriabin Museum recordings.
Anyting written by him or someone else he knew about this piano? Surely there’s a reason he chose it. I prefer it to the usually heavy handed version I often hear even in Carnegie.
The piano is still there, the museum (in Moscow) is one of the best composer museums, with a lot of things preserved intact. Piano is still being played on important occasions (Scriabin’s birthday and the day he died). It’s an incredibly light subtle Bechstein.
I’m quite surprose to like this, my least favorite Scriabin snorter plo by my absolutely least favorite interpreter. It’s nice when this happens; sometimes a combination of the two knee-jerk dislikes can produce a positive. Possible reasons: VS (imo), was more successful in the stifling darkness (as here) than in extatic upward-flying noises (4th & 5th snorters, for instance), also the Bechstein gives a particular color.
Whether pinists were influenced by Scriabin’s instrument, i don’t kno, but the complete works were recorded (or according to some: “wreck-ordered!”), by Michael Ponti on Bechstein, and several others, notably Igor Zhukov, recorded the sonatas on Bechstein.
The Bechstein company were the major importer to Russia until 1914; vintage instruments are still found in all states of (dis)repair, especially in the far-flung provinces!