Scriabin - Fantasy for piano and orchestra

[franz_]

Does anyone know this piece or have a recording or it??

[retrouvailles]

Postnikova and Rozhdestvensky recorded this. I don't like it as much as the version it is originally in, which is for two pianos. Rozhdestvensky (the arranger) just gave one piano part to the orchestra and the other to the soloist. It isn't an ingenious arrangement, really.

[hodi]

i have never heard of this piece!
i want to hear it!
i'm a scriabin freak!
where?!?!

[thierry13]

It's actually a fantasy for 2 pianos originally, and it has been recorded with 2 pianos. Where ... I don't know.

[retrouvailles]

The 2 piano version is great. Don't buy the piano and orchestra version.

[rachfan]

One of our own members, "sjskb", recorded the Fantasy (piano solo version) here and did a creditable job of it too.  Here is the link:

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,19047.0.html

There are also a few videos on YouTube.

I've never heard the piano/orchestra version though.

[retrouvailles]

That is not the same Fantasy. The one we are referring to was posthumously published, is for 2 pianos, and is quite different from the one everyone knows. Also keep in mind that the piano and orchestra version is Rozhdestvensky's arrangement of the original 2 piano version, not something that Scriabin wrote.

[thierry13]

One of our own members, "sjskb", recorded the Fantasy (piano solo version) here and did a creditable job of it too.  Here is the link:

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,19047.0.html

There are also a few videos on YouTube.

I've never heard the piano/orchestra version though.

It's funny because, thinking of that Argerich was told she played like a man, I tought the sjskb recording sounded like a female playing lol, I don't know why.

[rachfan]

Hi thierry,

Thanks for cluing me in on this posthumous work.  I have to say, I'm completely unfamiliar with it, although I know the piano concerto well.  I don't feel too dumb though.  I checked in Friskin's guide under works for two pianos--no mention of it there.  And, also Hinson's guide to works for piano and orchestra--only the concerto is mentioned.  This work must be quite obscure then?

sjskb didn't indicate gender in the member profile, but I know someone who knows sjskb, who, it turns out, is definitely a guy.  The recording was done in a professional studio, but on a medium Yamaha grand past its prime and needing both tuning and some work.  That might be why the sound isn't as robust as you'd expect.  Overall, I think he did a good job with the piece though, especially where Yamaha has fast tone decay and poor ability to sustaining a legato line.

I've had the sheet music for Op. 28 sitting around for over a year.  Sometimes I'm very tempted to undertake it, and other times I fear I won't do justice to it, as it's very difficult.  I'd hate to invest a lot of time that, in the end, might not be productive--especially where I have a lengthy "repertoire to do list".  A lot of risk there.  So it seems I'm perpetually in a catch 22 on whether to engage Op. 28 or not. 

[retrouvailles]

Yes, this obscure but great work is quite unknown, even to many Scriabin-o-philes. However, a few die hard obscure piano enthusiasts, like myself, know and love this piece. However, you don't need to listen to the Rozhdestvensky arrangement (which is far more obscure than the two piano version) to appreciate the piece. I would actually advise against it. The Genova-Dimitrov Duo, a wonderful Bulgarian piano duo, has a great recording of this Fantasy in A minor for two pianos, which I would really recommend.

[rachfan]

Thanks retourvailles for that recommendation.  I'll see if I can listen to the two-piano version rather than the arrangement.

[thierry13]

This work must be quite obscure then?

sjskb didn't indicate gender in the member profile, but I know someone who knows sjskb, who, it turns out, is definitely a guy.  The recording was done in a professional studio, but on a medium Yamaha grand past its prime and needing both tuning and some work.  That might be why the sound isn't as robust as you'd expect.  Overall, I think he did a good job with the piece though, especially where Yamaha has fast tone decay and poor ability to sustaining a legato line.

Yup the work is very obscure. As for the playing, it was not a reproach And it had not anything to do with how robust it was. It's more of a kind of touch, a way to phrase things I guess. I do not think the piano was in bad shape, anyways the playing is not bad, simply different.

[rachfan]

I think a few things I liked were 1) he integrated the entire piece well; 2) as you know, there is a great deal of ornamentation like grace notes, apporgiaturas, etc. embedded in the figuration, which add intricacy, making the piece that much more difficult to execute well.  He played them all really well with marvelous precision and clarity.  3) and he also seemed to have a fine feel for the romantic surges and brought those out well in his playing.   

I'm not crazy about Yamaha.  You hit the nail on the head--too short a tone decay which makes sustained legato playing very difficult indeed.  (Nice even action though.)  It's fine for Haydn and jazz, but not the Romantic and Late Romantic composers.  I think if he had been able to use a 7 foot top-tier piano at the recording studio, it would have made a big difference.  On balance, I do agree with you though--his touch is less than robust.  Then too, I watched Volodos' renditions of the piece on YouTube.  It was certainly robust, but to the point of being rambunctious and boisterous, sometimes bordering on the unpleasant.  Sometimes risk taking overshadowed the fine points.  It was at the opposite extreme.