Search - Sergey Prokofiev, Sergey Rachmaninov, Alexander Scriabin :: Wojciech Kocyan Plays Skriabin, Prokofiew, Rachmaninow

First-rate performances throughout

SRS | Ohio | 05/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The performances are first-rate throughout, and the sound quality is lush. The disc opens with a carefully crafted Scriabin sonata #1. Unlike many contemporary Scriabin performers, Kocyan doesn't seem ambivalent about the piece, and even has conviction in the sparse central movements. The G# minor Rachmaninov prelude is masterfully played. The Scriabin #2 is just as strong as his performance of the 1st. Both are unique among the over one dozen I have. The Prokofiev sonata is unusually pyrotechnic, bordering manic, but the pianist manages to maintain order enough to make his rapid tempo and powerful dynamics work. Despite the high price, this disc should be on the list of Scriabin and Prokofiev fans."

Absolutely essential

M. Hendrik | Ghent, Belgium | 12/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Who is Wojciech Kocyan? And where has this man been hiding in the past 20 years...? Here we have two recordings of sonatas by Alexander Scriabin which may very well be regarded as "definitive". A bold statement indeed, but the fact is that Kocyan's performances of Scriabin's 1st and 2nd sonatas are quite simply sublime, and may set a new standard for all past and future recordings to match.



In the 1st sonata, Kocyan is particularly successful at drawing the emotional arc of the work. Scriabin wrote his 1st sonata as a lament for the (presumed) loss of his right hand, and of the early sonatas, I believe it is his most cohesive work. The four movements alternate anger and despair in mounting intensity, a structure that is never less than crystal clear under the hands of Kocyan, who is also one of the few to successfully convey the quiet agony of the second movement. Other pianists have performed this sonata quite admirably in the past (Ashkenazy certainly comes to mind), but never with as much attention to both the details and the overarching structure at the same time.



The unrelenting gloom of the 1st sonata is completely abandoned in the glorious 2nd sonata. Though considerably shorter than its predecessor, the 2nd posed some challenges to Scriabin in its compositional stage, taking five years to be completed, longer than any other sonata in his output. The result is a somewhat disjointed work, which may have been more interesting without the agitated second movement. As it stands, it is still a magnificent work in its own right, hard to play badly. Once again, Kocyan's performance easily outclasses the competition, the brilliance of his andante movement matched only by Sofronitsky's (the only movement he recorded).



Any self-respecting collector of Scriabin should own this record. For the uninitiated, it will serve as an excellent entry-point into the world of (early) Scriabin. As a bonus (at least from my point of view) it also features two exquisite Rachmaninov preludes, and a stellar performance of Prokofiev's 7th sonata. And did I mention the superb sound quality?"