Sonata No. 2 (Scriabin)

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Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor, (Opus 19, also titled Sonata-Fantasy) took five years for him to write. It was finally published in 1897, at the urging of his publisher. The piece is in two movements, with a style combining Chopin-like Romanticism with an impressionistic touch. This piece is widely appreciated and although obscure, it is one of Scriabin's more popular pieces.

The first movement Andante begins with echoing effects, followed by two lyrically themed sections. After a short climax, the piece modulates to E major (also C sharp minor) and lyrical sections are restated. The second movement Presto, in sharp contrast to the first movement, is very fast and intense. In fact, at the given tempo indication, the second movement averages nearly 15 notes per second, making it comparable to an étude, though far from the most difficult pianistic task created by Scriabin. Alternating crescendos and decrescendos may give the listener the impression of waves.

Like Scriabin's other sonatas, it is both technically and musically highly demanding for the pianist and is written for large hands (in fact, there is an enormous reach of a twelfth, although many pianists will agree that this implies an unnotated arpeggio). The piece lasts about 11 minutes.

Piano Sonatas by Alexander Scriabin
| Sonata No. 1 | Sonata No. 2 | Sonata No. 3 | Sonata No. 4 | Sonata No. 5 | Sonata No. 6 | Sonata No. 7 | Sonata No. 8 | Sonata No. 9 | Sonata No. 10