Customer Reviews

Scriabin: Etudes op.8, Preludes op.11, Poemes op.32 / Kuschnerova

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This is one of those CDs that can be heard again and again. Elena Kuschnerova is a pianist that deserves far greater fame than she has been accorded to date, and there is every reason to believe that she will receive it. She lets these works speak for themselves, using a strong and noble tone with an enormous range of colors.

The Etudes Op. 8 are the highlight of this disc. These works are a tremendous technical challenge, without appearing to be so. The interpretation on this disc is particularly noteworthy, as the entire Op. 8 can be heard as a complete work, and not as a group of separate small pieces.

I might add that I am not alone in my opinion. Everyone who has heard this CD has fallen in love with it, even those who have told me that they don't like Scriabin. Highly advised.

This is the ideal introduction to a vastly underrated composer. Scriabin wrote some of the most beautiful and unique piano music ever written. Any fan of classical piano music should be familiar with these pieces. Also recommended are the complete set of 10 sonatas, Ashkenazy is my preferred performer. For a complete set of the Scriabin piano music, Ponti's is the only one that I am aware of. For the pianist, Dover scores has compete sheetmusic for the Sonatas, Preludes and Etudes, and Mazurkas and Other Works. The Symphonies are wonderful as well. Buy Kuschnerova's disc today and open up a new world of music.