Scriabin: Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3; La Poème de l'extase; Prométhée

Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra

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Scriabin: Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3; La Poème de l'extase; Prométhée Review

by James Leonard

Had he lived into the age of recordings instead of dying in 1915, Scriabin would no doubt have relished the idea of listening to a complete cycle of his own symphonic works. Of course, had he lived into the age of recordings, Scriabin would have added only one other work to his oeuvre -- the Mysterium for soloists, choruses, and orchestras along with actors, dancers, perfumers, and light projector operators plus percussionists striking bells suspended from balloons -- because, according to the composer, at the conclusion of the work's premiere, the world as we know it would have come to an end with the transfiguration of humanity, thereby foreclosing further opportunities for listening to recordings. Thus, deprived of transcendence, we will have to content ourselves with the more circumscribed ecstasy of Scriabin's extant symphonic works. While some listeners would argue that Evgeny Svetlanov's cycle with the USSR Symphony from the '60s delivered the more authentic "Scriabin experience," most listeners would agree that Riccardo Muti's cycle with the Philadelphia Orchestra from the late '80s and early '90s delivered better-played and better-sounding performances. Of course, the Philadelphia at that point in Muti's tenure as music director was only a marginally more polished orchestra than the USSR Symphony under Svetlanov, and EMI's early digital sound was only slightly less distant than Melodiya's Russian stereo sound, so these distinctions are not necessarily decisive. More persuasively, Muti's interpretations, like the works themselves, grow grander and more glorious as the cycle progresses. Muti's First is unbelievably massive; his Second is incredibly monumental; his Third, subtitled "The Divine Poem," is unthinkably egomaniacal; his Fourth, called "The Poem of Ecstasy," is unimaginably monomaniacal; and his Fifth, called "Prometheus -- The Poem of Fire," is inconceivably megalomaniacal. Scriabin, had he lived to hear it, would have loved it.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 1 in E major (with chorus in finale), Op. 26
1	I: Lento Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	07:38	Spotify Amazon
2	II. Allegro drammatico Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	08:53	Spotify Amazon
3	III. Lento Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	10:12	Spotify Amazon
4	IV. Vivace Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	03:14	Spotify Amazon
5	V. Allegro Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	07:34	Spotify Amazon
6	VI. Andante Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	13:03	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 2 in C minor/major, Op. 29
1	I. Andante Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	07:52	Spotify Amazon
2	II. Allegro Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	11:39	Spotify Amazon
3	III. Andante Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	13:46	Spotify Amazon
4	IV. Tempestuoso Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	05:59	Spotify Amazon
5	V. Maestoso Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	08:56	Spotify Amazon
6	Le Poème de l'extase (Poem of Ecstasy), symphony [No. 4] in C major, Op. 54 Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	20:02	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 3 in C minor ("Divine Poem"), Op. 43
1	I. Introduction: Lento: Divnin, grandiose - LUTTES: Allegro: Mystérieux, tragique - sombre, haletan Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	25:46	Spotify Amazon
2	II. Voluptés: Lento: Sublime - Vivo: Divin essai Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	12:29	Spotify Amazon
3	III. Jeu Divin: Allegro: Avec une joie éclatante Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	10:16	Spotify Amazon
4	Symphony No. 5 in F sharp major for piano, organ, chorus & orchestra ("Prometheus, Poem of Fire"), Op. 60 Alexander Scriabin	Riccardo Muti / Philadelphia Orchestra	20:47	Spotify Amazon

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