Sonata No. 1 (Scriabin)

The Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, opus 6, by Alexander Scriabin, was the first of ten piano sonatas which Scriabin composed throughout his career. It was completed in 1892. The key of the sonata is the dark key of F minor. The music is emotionally charged as much of the music was written after Scriabin had damaged his right hand through excessive piano playing.

Background

Alexander was reportedly overpracticing Liszt's "Don Juan Fantasy" and Balakirev's "" when he damaged his right hand. He was informed by physicians that he would never play again. The first piano sonata was Scriabin's personal cry against God: the tragedy of the loss of a virtuoso pianist to whimsical fate, God's design.(1997), Ashkenazy notes, p5] During this period of disability, he wrote the Prelude and Nocturne, op. 9 for left hand alone; however, in due course his right hand recovered.

tructure and content

The sonata is in four movements, and takes approximately 18–20 minutes to perform:
#Allegro con fuoco
#Adagio
#Presto
#Funèbre

The first movement, "Allegro con fuoco", starts with a very dark and passionate opening theme. This grows into a slightly more optimistic climax, but descends again into a forlorn close to the theme. It continues with a melancholy second theme in A-flat major which builds up to the very majestic ending of the 1st movement's exposition. There is a turbulent development section, followed by a recapitulation of the two main themes, in slightly varied form and with the modulations altered to bring the second theme back in F major. The movement ends very quietly, vacillating uncertainly between F minor and major, before settling for F major in the very last sustained chord.

The second movement, in C minor, is a very sad "Adagio" in ternary form, ending quietly in C major.

The third movement, "Presto", in F minor again, is in a rather condensed and compact Rondo form. The movement is harsh and agitated, relieved briefly only by the more tender middle theme in A-flat major, and angrily hammers into an unresolved end, which is resolved in the final slow movement, the "Funèbre", again in F minor, and similar in mood to the funeral march of Chopin's second piano sonata. The gloom is unrelieved right up to the bleak ending in F minor.

Notes

References

* cite album-notes
title = Scriabin: The Piano Sonatas
bandname = Vladimir Ashkenazy
year = 1997
notestitle = Alexander Scriabin: The Piano Sonatas
pages = 5–7
format = CD liner
publisher = Decca

Further reading

*Scriabin, Alexander. "Complete Piano Sonatas". 1964 Muzyka score republished in 1988 by New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-25850-5.

External links

*IMSLP2|id=Piano_Sonata_No.1%2C_Op.6_(Scriabin%2C_Alexander)|cname=Sonata No. 1 (Scriabin)