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September 8, 2009

Music we've been missing (Part 9): Scriabin

The name of Alexander Scriabin should appear more frequently on programs. His solo piano music turns up on recitals with some freqeuncy, I know, but his symphonically inclined works haven't received the attention they should around here -- at least not during my nine years in Baltimore. It's certainly high time we had an opportunity to plunge into that great orgy of sound, "The Poem of Ecstasy," not to mention the Symphony No. 3 ("The Divine Poem").

Scriabin had an extraordinary sense of tone color that influenced many others, and he knew how to create vivid musical structures. There's nothing quite like the great washes of sound he could unleash in his sumptuous orchestral scores. So let's get some Scriabin flowing here soon -- and let the more exposed Russian composers have a rest.

Here's a taste of "The Poem of Ecstasy":

Posted by Tim Smith at 7:00 AM | | Comments (1)
        

Comments

Great to get tuned in to unfamiliar music--and really love it.The Scriabin Ecstasy Poem is a gem. Thanx for expanding our minds. The Baltimore Sun has some good stuff going for it.

You're too kind. TIM

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About Tim Smith
I was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up there. Initial thoughts of becoming a cocktail pianist faded when I realized I hated taking requests. I decided to study music history instead, and got a B. A. in that field from Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, New York, and an M.A. from Occidental College in Los Angeles. After free-lance gigs for the Washington Star and the Washington Post, I worked as classical music critic for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel during the 1980s and '90s, a period when I also ventured into radio, contributing to NPR and hosting a weekly show on a West Palm Beach station. Since April 2000, I've been classical music critic at the Baltimore Sun. Over the years, I've written occasional articles for the New York Times, BBC Music Magazine and other publications, and I'm a longtime, regular contributor to Opera News and the U.K. magazine Opera. You may still be able to find on the remainder racks my one and only book, The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (Perigee, 2002).
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