Lyrical, Virtuoso performance
Byron Williams | Ithaca, NY USA | 02/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I hadn't heard of Lisovskaya, but the playlist looked interesting and included some of my personal Scriabin favorites, so I decided to give it a try. Immediately I noticed that the sound is quite excellent, and the piano sound is superior -- it's a Steinway D. Lisovskaya's interpretations are excellent, lyrical, melodic. I've listened to this CD over and over and still marvelling at it. She certainly excels when playing the early Scriabin (the early preludes & etudes) -- including the beautiful Deux Poems op. 32 #1, but the highlight really is the Vers La Flamme, where she really gives it her all. Towards the end of the piece you can even hear what I think is her voice (though it's not clear what she's saying), perhaps from exertion. Technically it is superb playing, and the interpretations are always focussed on the music, not on herself (for some reason many other interpretators of Scriabin always are trying to "show off"). I'd like to hear more from Sophia Lisovkaya in the future -- perhaps another collection of Scriabin?"