Customer Reviews

Alexander Scriabin: Symphony No. 3, Op. 43 "The Divine Poem" / The Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54 - Mikhail Pletnev

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I absolutely love this symphony. Very distinctive and has so many amazing "out of this world" bits.

This is an excellent recording overall. In particular, the strings are clear, as they ought to be. The placing of the cellos is very curious -- seem to be split into two groups at the front, both left and right of the centre. But great to hear the cellos coming out, and the bass is clear, which is important for the walking pizzicato bass theme in the 1st movement.

So overall, very good. My other favourite recording is Ashkenazy/DSOB on Decca which has brilliant sound, but this is an interesting alternative.

The filler is fine, but I have always found that it has nothing on Sym 3

This CD is a real pleasure for everyone who adores the mystical and iconoclastical work of Scriabin. Pletnev and the RNO come really very close to the perfect performance of the Divine Poem. The Trumpet score in the 3rd act is exhilirating and the brass make brilliant appearance in all 3 acts. The pace is magnificiant and so is the sound. The Poem D'extase is a bit paller,but still the overwhole performance is very good. I'd not skip this one in my Late-Romantic collection.

There is plenty of tough competition in both of these works, and without making any final judgment on the matter I guess Muti's cycle remains very near the top of the pile. Compared to that one this recording, featuring Mikhail Pletnev in charge of the Russian National Orchestra, doesn't quite hold up. Now, there are certainly redeeming qualities - the third symphony opens very promisingly (and the return of the opening theme at the end is effective), with the right amount of glitter and electricity. But apart from that this reading is, sad to say, somewhat dutiful and perfunctory. It is not that they are fully devoid of drama or power, but the ebb and flow of the music seems rather purposeless here, and nothing ever rises to the searingly, divinely climactic. It achieves instead the curious result of sounding both a little rushed and a little meandering - the first because some of the material is not sufficiently characterized or explored, the second because there is sometimes a lack of unifying vision. Indeed, though there are some striking moments and some fine orchestral contributions (often splendid brass), the lack of a clear, distinctive overall conception may be the drawback here. Now, to be fair, anyone coming to the music for the first time through these performances will probably not fail to be moved or impressed, but there really is more to find in this score.

The Poem of Ecstacy is definitely powerful in its climaxes, but there are occasions where Pletnev fails to balance the ensemble properly to give the music the wildly visionary quality it ideally requires. The sound, however, is good throughout. In conclusion, then, while this is not a bad recording by any standards it doesn't really manage to make itself relevant or even very strongly recommendable given the competition. Stick with Muti.

It's hard for me to judge how well Mikhail Pletnev's interpretations of Scriabin's scores rank against others, since I've only recently been introduced to Scriabin's music. Having heard Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra perform the Poem of Ectasy at Carnegie Hall last month, Pletnev's account strikes me as somewhat subdued, and less inspiring than Gergiev's. Yet I presume it remains a fine interpretation of Scriabin's tone poem. Indeed, in a recent edition of the Grammophone Guide To Classical CDs, this CD is highly recommended for both the tone poem and symphony as among the finest recordings of either score now available. Both works are blessed by the Russian National Orchestra's warm, vibrant playing. The sound quality is also excellent, if not nearly as vibrant as the latest digital imaging recording technology used by Deutsche Grammophon.

This CD is a real pleasure for everyone who adores the mystical and iconoclastical work of Scriabin. Pletnev and the RNO come really very close to the perfect performance of the Divine Poem. The Trumpet score in the 3rd act is exhilirating and the brass make brilliant appearance in all 3 acts. The pace is magnificiant and so is the sound. The Poem D'extase is a bit paller,but still the overwhole performance is very good. I'd not skip this one in my Late-Romantic collection.