Alexander Scriabin: The Russian Prometheus

Alexander Scriabin was a visionary Russian composer of the turn of the 20 th century, whose music encompasses a steep stylistic progression from his adolescent romantic works to the futuristic compositions of 1910s. Scriabin’s unique language was influenced by his mystical philosophy and by synesthesia, the association of sounds with colors. What Scriabin personified for the Russian music, Debussy represented for the French and Schoenberg and his circle – for the Germanic traditions: a bridge from the 19th to the 20th centuries in the development of musical styles. Piano was Scriabin’s main medium. That is where he made musical discoveries, experimenting with harmonies and special sound effects, creating inimitable sonorities, impressions and characters. 2021-2022 marks Scriabin’s 150 th anniversary. To commemorate this benchmark, the pianist Dmitry Rachmanov will present a synopsis of the composer’s stylistic and spiritual development through nearly three decades of creativity, discussing the historical and artistic environment of the time, focusing on the composer’s style as related to specific genres, offering musical examples with commentaries of the composer’s etudes, preludes, mazurkas, nocturnes, poems and sonatas.