Search - Alexander Scriabin, Evgeny Svetlanov, Larissa Avdeyeva :: Scriabin: Symphony No. 1

Begun in 1899, the Symphony No. 1 turned out to be a giant, towering over Scriabin's previous work in terms of sheer scale. Sprawling into six movements (rather than the usual four), the score also calls for chorus and vocal solists in the finale (a la Beethoven's Ninth) who sing a "Hymn to Art" with words by the composer himself. Scriabin thought this Symphony was by far the best thing he had written, but its first (somewhat abbreviated) performance in St. Petersburg in 1900 was met with a hostile response. One critic wrote that the symphony was not as "horrifying" as Scriabin's previous piano concerto (now considered hardly distinguishable from Chopin!), but complained about Scriabin's rehashing of Tchaikovsky and Wagner. While Scriabin's First may not propel one along as, say, a similarly sprawling symphony by Mahler does, one can still luxuriate in its sumptuousness and sensuality. The orchestration is exquisite, in true Russian fashion, and Scriabin manages to maintain a unified atmosphere throughout. Evgeni Svetlanov became principal conductor of the USSR Symphony Orchestra in 1965 and won all the highest honors of his country in music. He died in Moscow in May of 2002, at the age of 74. Historic 1963 recording.