Étude Op. 2 No. 1 (Scriabin)

Étude Op. 2 No. 1 is a technical Étude for piano in C-sharp minor which was written by the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin in 1887.[1]

Contents

Background

This Étude was written in 1887, when Scriabin was just 15 years old. It was the first of the Three Pieces from Op. 2 and was one of Scriabin's earliest successes.[1]

Analysis

Étude Op. 2 No. 1 is in 3/4 time and is in the key of C-sharp minor.

The melody of this étude is poignant and heartfelt, showing many characteristics of Russian Gypsy music. It is accompanied by the right hand and left playing repeated chords, these chords feature rich harmonies, inner voices, and large spreads in the left hand. The dynamics of the piece are varied constantly to display emotion and passion and to add interest. The piece features many key changes but finally concludes in the original key. Although it is a slow and somber piece, like many other études, it is considerably difficult to perfect.

This étude lasts for about three minutes.[1][2][3]

Recordings

Pianist Duration Record Label Recording Date Album
Vladimir Horowitz[4] 02:39 Deutsche Grammophon 1986 Horowitz in Moscow
Shura Cherkassky[5] 03:24 London Records 1982 Encores
Sviatoslav Richter[6] 02:51 Melodiya 1952 Richter

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Étude Op. 2 No. 1 at allmusic
  2. ^ Étude Op. 2 No. 1 at Last.fm
  3. ^ IMSLP Score
  4. ^ Horowitz in Moscow at allmusic
  5. ^ Encores at allmusic
  6. ^ Richter at allmusic

External links