Alexander Scriabin - 2 Impromptus, Op. 12

Scriabin’s 2 Impromptus, Op. 12, are two early period pieces dating from 1895. The pair of Impromptus were written while Scriabin was a client of Belyayev’s publishing company. Both pieces exhibit lush Chopinesque melodies and offset rhythms.
The first impromptu is largely sweet from the inside and out. A lilting lullaby flows like the milk that secretes from Amalthea’s teat. The middle section, presented in the form of a mazurka, is more assertive than the rest of the piece.
The second has a slightly agitated first theme that transitions into a passionate outbreak of emotion. At the height of the frenzy, the sound of bells ring four times. They would reappear during the finale. In the main melody, a raised sixth exposes itself in the form of a rolled half-diminished chord. A reprieve is given to the listener, but by the whim of Alexander Nikolayevich, this short section is only the calm before the storm. The recapitulation is nothing short of volcanic. From the stretto onward, the piece erupts into a hellish frenzy. Each octave thunderbolt in the profound bass line resounds like the magma-lit cracks that form in the earth during eschatological times, expressing a brutal, fiery end for the impromptu.
Date: 1895
Catalogue: Op. 12
Order:
No. 1 - Presto in F-sharp Major: 0:08
No. 2 - Andante cantabile in B-flat Minor: 4:11
Performer: Maria Lettberg on piano
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