Author Archives: Steven Estep

Poem of Ecstasy has totally earned each little bit of its fame. The colours coaxed from the orchestra are sensible but all the time utilized in service of the music. Scriabin’s principal themes are straightforward to recollect and acknowledge whilst they make their peregrinations by means of the twists and turns of his chromaticism. And the heights of jubilant grandeur the piece reaches are surrounded by their very own uncommon air. Shui and the Singapore Symphony are concurrently polished, managed, and invigorating, delivering a efficiency that ranks with the very best. In the sonata, Sudbin wins each devilish problem the composer throws his approach, maintaining the strains and rhythms clear whereas apparently having the time of his life. The miking makes the piano sound practically psychedelic, with completely different elements of the keyboard coming from completely different locations within the soundstage. It’s like being inside the piano as an alternative of simply within the corridor! Prometheus is a vivid tone poem depicting the evolution of the world and humankind from gritty chaos to “final transcendence.” Though elements of it really feel like a less-inspired sequel to Poem of Ecstasy, it has extra violent undertones and lurid orchestration. Again, a stellar efficiency in splendid sound.

The submit Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy; Prometheus; Piano Sonata No. 5 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

Have you ever wished for more Mozart symphonies, maybe ones that sound a bit like Beethoven? Well, this might scratch that itch. In the 1810s, Mozart’s pupil Ignaz von Seyfried arranged his teacher’s Fantasy and Sonata in C Minor (K. 475 and K. 457) into a four-movement Grande Fantaisie in C Minor, and then movements from a Piano Quartet and Organ Fantasy into the Grande Fantaisie in F Minor. These are the premiere recordings of arrangements that probably haven’t been heard since 1840. The sonata is one of Mozart’s more aggressive pieces (my grad school roommate criticized me for playing it too much like Beethoven), opening with a “Mannheim Rocket”—a quickly ascending line that grabs the attention immediately—which then falls slowly back with chromatic grace. The second Fantaisie is even more gripping, alternating between tragedy and buoyancy in the Allegro; the finale’s fugue brings intricate nobility. The playing is tepid in K. 475, and poor balance sometimes obscures the themes, but the orchestra brings full-throated drama to the fast movements. Trombones and timpani get some especially juicy parts; it’s a joy to hear my favorite Mozart sonata given such an exciting, colorful orchestration.

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