ALEXANDER SCRIABIN - Sonatas
"Alexander Scriabin – Piano Sonata No. 6 in G major, Op. 62
Composed in 1911–1912, the Piano Sonata No. 6 marked Scriabin's full immersion into his mystical phase, exploring the boundaries of tonality and texture. Unlike its predecessors, the Sixth Sonata is haunting, eerie, and foreboding. Scriabin himself was said to be unnerved by the music, rarely performing it in public. The piece exudes an otherworldly darkness, with unstable harmonic language, dissonant clusters, and brooding chromaticism that evoke the sense of a spiritual and cosmic unknown. The sonata’s surreal atmosphere is created through its innovative use of tritones and the absence of a traditional, melodic narrative. Instead, the sonata unfolds as a tapestry of colors and textures, constantly shifting between quiet tension and sudden outbursts of sound. The Sixth Sonata remains enigmatic and is often seen as one of Scriabin’s most disturbing yet profound works.
Piano Sonata No. 9 in F major, Op. 68 “Black Mass”
The Ninth Sonata, also known as the Black Mass Sonata, composed in 1912–1913, stands as one of Scriabin’s most mysterious and dark works. In stark contrast to the luminous White Mass, the Black Mass evokes sinister and unsettling forces, reflecting Scriabin’s fascination with the occult and his exploration of darkness. The sonata is marked by its obsessive use of dissonant intervals, tritones, and disturbing chromaticism, creating a mood of foreboding and tension. The work unfolds as a series of shadowy, nightmarish episodes, with eerie harmonies and jagged rhythms, often punctuated by sudden bursts of intensity. Scriabin’s treatment of sound in this sonata is almost hallucinatory, as the music conjures a world of hidden dangers and unearthly visions. The Black Mass is one of Scriabin’s most original and psychologically complex compositions, demanding both technical precision and interpretive daring from the performer.
Piano Sonata No. 7 in F major, Op. 64 “White Mass”
Composed in 1911, the Seventh Sonata, also known as the White Mass Sonata, is a mystical and ethereal work, in direct contrast to the dark Sixth Sonata. In this piece, Scriabin conveys a vision of transcendence and spiritual purity, which he associated with the concept of "white light." The sonata opens with delicate, shimmering passages, as if depicting a divine realm beyond earthly existence. Scriabin’s harmonic language is highly chromatic and ambiguous, blending moments of luminous beauty with more dissonant, ecstatic outbursts. The music evokes feelings of rapture and transcendence, with rapid ascents into the highest registers of the keyboard and dramatic contrasts in dynamics and texture. The White Massreflects Scriabin’s belief in the possibility of spiritual ascension through music, and its radiant, glowing character marks it as one of his most visionary works.
Piano Sonata No. 8 in A-flat major, Op. 66
Composed in 1912–1913, the Eighth Sonata is one of Scriabin's last sonatas, exploring the boundaries of his mystical harmonic world. It is often described as one of his most complex and enigmatic pieces, featuring dense textures and continuous chromatic development. The sonata’s harmonic language is elusive, filled with intricate dissonances and unresolved tension. The music rarely settles into familiar tonal regions, creating a sense of floating in a metaphysical space. In contrast to the more overtly dramatic sonatas, such as the Black Mass, the Eighth Sonata offers an inward, contemplative journey, full of subtle shifts in color and atmosphere. The sonata’s delicate and almost improvisatory nature requires the performer to interpret Scriabin’s evolving, ephemeral textures with a sensitivity to its ever-changing emotional landscape.
Piano Sonata No. 5 in F-sharp major, Op. 53
Composed in 1907, Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 5 is a pivotal work in his transition from his earlier Romantic style toward his later mystical and atonal explorations. The sonata, in a single movement, is a whirlwind of color and texture, bursting with energy, and reflects Scriabin’s philosophical fascination with transcendence and ecstasy. Scriabin described it as “a poem of ecstasy,” and indeed, the music embodies his evolving spiritual ideas, combining harmonic instability with a sense of boundless aspiration. The harmonic language, full of dissonances and chromaticism, prefigures his later mystical period, while the sweeping, virtuosic writing requires tremendous technical and emotional stamina from the performer. Themes of rapture and ecstasy pervade the work, from its mysterious opening to its climactic bursts of sound, making this sonata one of Scriabin’s most innovative and challenging.
Maurice Ravel - Valse
À la manière de Borodine, Valse, M. 63
Composed in 1913 as part of a pair of pastiches (À la manière de Chabrier and À la manière de Borodine), À la manière de Borodine is a playful homage to the Russian composer Alexander Borodin. In this brief work, Ravel expertly mimics Borodin’s lush harmonic language and sweeping lyricism while infusing it with his own distinct voice. Set as a waltz, the piece combines the rich textures and folk-inspired melodies reminiscent of Borodin’s style with Ravel’s characteristic elegance and precision. The work is light-hearted and witty, showcasing Ravel’s mastery of pastiche and his deep understanding of the composers he admired. Though short, À la manière de Borodine captures the spirit of Russian Romanticism while simultaneously demonstrating Ravel’s own imaginative orchestration and harmonic inventiveness.
Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61
Composed in 1911, Valses nobles et sentimentales is a suite of eight waltzes that blends nostalgia with modernity. The work draws inspiration from Franz Schubert’s collections of waltzes, particularly his Valses nobles and Valses sentimentales, but Ravel’s treatment of the form is distinctly modern, characterized by sharp harmonic contrasts, dissonances, and complex rhythms.
Each waltz offers a different emotional perspective, moving between elegance, melancholy, playfulness, and contemplation. The harmonic language is innovative, often juxtaposing diatonic and chromatic elements to create a shimmering, multi-dimensional effect.
The work was premiered anonymously at a concert organized by the Société Musicale Indépendante, with audience members asked to guess the composer’s identity. The modernist approach confused many listeners, but when Ravel’s authorship was revealed, it was met with both admiration and surprise.
The closing movement, Epilogue, ties the suite together, revisiting themes from earlier waltzes in a dreamy, enigmatic conclusion. Valses nobles et sentimentales represents Ravel’s fascination with both tradition and innovation, as he reinvents the Viennese waltz while remaining deeply rooted in its heritage.
La valse, M. 72
Composed between 1919 and 1920, La valse is one of Ravel’s most ambitious and enigmatic works, conceived as both a tribute to and deconstruction of the Viennese waltz. Initially envisioned as a ballet, La valse evokes the grandeur and decay of the 19th-century waltz tradition, while reflecting the turbulent atmosphere of post-World War I Europe. The work has often been interpreted as a metaphor for the collapse of the old order, with its gradual descent into chaos symbolizing the disintegration of European aristocracy.
The piece begins with an eerie, almost imperceptible murmur, as the waltz rhythm gradually emerges from a swirling haze of sound. Ravel builds layers of texture and color, evoking the image of a grand ballroom where dancers whirl in increasingly frenzied circles. The music is both seductive and menacing, with moments of sparkling elegance interrupted by dissonant harmonies and jarring rhythms. As the piece progresses, the waltz becomes more distorted and fragmented, culminating in a wild, dissonant climax that shatters the illusion of the graceful dance.
La valse can be heard as both a tribute to the elegance of the past and a commentary on its demise. It remains one of Ravel’s most powerful and enigmatic works, balancing moments of beauty with an underlying sense of tragedy and impending disaster. Whether performed as a solo piano work or in its orchestral version, La valse leaves an indelible impression with its masterful use of color, rhythm, and texture.