Scriabin: Prometheus, Poem of Fire Op. 6 / Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 - Very Good

Very Good - DELETE

In Moscow, in the years before World War I and the Russian revolution, there were two opposing, and apparently irreconcilable, musical factions. Rachmaninov was given the title of pianist of the bourgeoisie, while leftist students and theosophical movements championed Scriabin. The former was considered the successor to Tchakovsky, the latter, too avant-gardist. Fortunately, these squabbles in no way affected the friendship between the two composers. After Scriabins death in 1915, Rachmaninov played his works during a tour of major provincial towns as a way of financially assisting his widow, who was threatened with expulsion. Each in his own way, these two artists rejected the dictums of romanticism and embraced modernity, and this recording serves as a sort of bridge between them. Its two colossal works place orchestra, conductor and soloist on equal footings; and both require a meticulous reading of the score, a thorough understanding of its architecture, and flawless rhythmic precision: the original version of Rachmaninovs Piano Concerto No. 4 and ScriabinsPrometheus: The Poem of Fire. Moscou, l'aube de la premire guerre mondiale et de la rvolution russe, deux factions musicales s'opposaient, en apparence irrconciliables. Rachmaninov se voyait attribuer le titre de pianiste de la bourgeoisie, pendant qu'tudiants de gauche et mouvements thosophiques portaient Scriabine aux nues. On considrait le premier hritier de Tchakovski, le second trop avant-gardiste. Pont entre ces artistes qui, chacun leur manire, ont repouss les diktats du romantisme et plong dans la modernit. Le prsent enregistrement propose deux pages colossales, mettant en valeur de faon indissociable, orchestre, chef et soliste, qui exigent lecture mticuleuse, comprhension de l'architecture et prcision rythmique sans faille : le Quatrime Concerto pour piano de Rachmaninov dans sa version originale et Promthe ou le pome de feu de Scriabine.

FEATURES