Hooray for Scriabin
Erik D. Lofquist | Shoreline, WA | 12/08/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the second of two volumes of Scriabin's complete preludes. The pianist Zarafiants gives them a good reading here. While volume 1 was occasionally marred by some flaccid playing, Volume 2 is more satisfying. Zarafiants seems more at home with Scrabin's later style. The final set of preludes, the opus 74, are played with tremendous drama and understanding. An added treat is the four preludes written (supposedly) by Scriabin's eleven year old son, Julian, just before his death by drowning. If these four preludes were really written by Julian, then his was a talent to rival Mozart."
Valuable, if less than stellar
Michael Rindt | 06/17/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Scriabin is a composer whose genius very likely does not get the credit it deserves. Highly appreciated by scholars and highly trained musicians, he seems to baffle those who have difficulty reconciling his opus 11 and 74 sets as having come from the same composer. The complete two cd set recorded by Zarafiants is valuable because of the sheer number of pieces it includes. The transition from the romantic/Chopin-inspired early pieces to the completely individual and challenging pieces at the end is made palatable here. It plays almost like a biography of the composer. Having said all that, Zarafiants is not remotely the greatest performer I've ever heard with Scriabin. It's quite a bit syrupy, typical, and uninvolved. It's...nice playing, that's all. For stellar playing, look up Sofronitsky, Pletnev, Horowitz, and Richter. Still, for the price and the completeness (even includes some pieces by Scriabin's son), this is a nice addition to a collection."
WOODEN! Worth buying ONLY for the rare Julian Scriabin piece
Dace Gisclard | Houston, TX | 06/11/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The same problems of wooden and unimaginative playing that afflict Mr. Zarafiant's vol.1 are present here also. Readers who are patient enough to pursue the issue are referred to my remarks on vol.1-no point in boring readers with repetition. One positive remark: the CD includes the few little pieces composed by Julian Scriabin, the composer's son. It IS interesting to hear these little pieces, and this appears to be their only recording. Believe me, after having been stung by vol.I, this was the ONLY reason I bought the disc!
Those seeking a really excellent recording of these pieces should investigate Maria Lettberg's 8-CD set of the piano music on Capriccio--definitely worth seeking out."