Presents
Alexander Scriabin
Two Pieces for Piano Trio
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) was born in Moscow and studied piano and composition at the Conservatory there with Anton Arensky and Sergei Taneyev among others. He enjoyed a career as a prominent pianist and in the last part of his life as an innovative composer. Most of his works were for the piano and his early music was influenced to a great degree by Chopin. During this time he wrote many similar pieces such as the Etude and Nocturne in a late highly romantic style. Much later, his style changed and approached atonalism.
He did not write any chamber music. However, in 1911 the prominent Moscow music publisher Jurgenson decided to create a collection of well-known pieces for piano trio by prominent Russian composers. This collection was to be called Trios Russe. The pieces were not, however, to be originally for piano trio, but rather were mostly popular and famous songs and in some cases merely works for solo piano. Jurgenson selected the then prominent composer Alexander Krein (1883-1951) to select and arrange the pieces for piano trio. Krein selected 25 works in all from composers such as Borodin, Mussorgski, Arensky, Rachmaninov, Rimsky Korsakov and many others. The last two works were piano pieces by Alexander Scriabin. The first, Etude, is the first from a series of pieces published as his Op.2 in 1894. The second work, Nocturne was the first of two pieces from his Op.5 published in 1893. Trios Russe was published in 1912.
Krein's arrangements are superb, so much so that one can honestly say that they are the equal if not the superior of the originals. These works would do well in concert and amatuers will also find them quite appealing.
Parts $19.95
