Anyone heard the Michael Ponti - Scriabin cycle?

[jam8086]

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone has heard the Michael Ponti complete Scriabin cycle. I'm wondering if I should buy it, because it has gotten very mixed reviews on Amazon

Here is the link to the complete piano works, excluding sonatas
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007J4SK/qid=1121719471/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/102-4165852-5134537?v=glance&s=classical

Here is the link to the complete piano sonatas, finishing the cycle
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007J4SI/qid=1121719471/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4165852-5134537?v=glance&s=classical

Is anybody who has heard these CDs willing to give a review? If not, are there any alternatives?

[pita bread]

Don't bother with that.

Sofronitsky - Sonatas #4, 5, 9; Etudes Op. 8 and 42

Horowitz - Vers la Flamme; Etudes Op. 8 #12, Op. 42 #5, Op. 65 #3; Assorted Preludes

Overall, Sofronitsky blows Horowitz out of the water, he captures the nightmare-essence in Scriabin's music better than Horowitz, but Horowitz is cleaner overall.

Other worthwhile listens are Ogdon (his Vers la Flamme is considered good), Richter (Prometheus), and Gilels (Preludes Op. 74).

[Nightscape]

Yuck.... that Ponti recording has an awful tinny sound, and the interpretation is muddled and confusing.

pita bread has some good suggestions.  I also hold the Ruth Laredo recording of the sonatas in high regard.  She gives an amazing performance of the 7th and 8th sonatas... many prefer Ashkenazy's 8th, but Laredo's 8th delves more into the darker gloomier aspects of the 8th sonata which I think is more appropriate than the crystalline version by Ashkenazy.

[al]

It's not worth getting the Ponti recordings.  His interpretations aren't that good (IMO), and the sound quality is awful (it's transferred from an old cassette to a CD I think, so has loads of hiss and no bass).  The recordings mentioned above are all pretty good.  I would also recommend Piers Lane's complete preludes and complete etudes - while they're not up to the standard of Sofronitsky, Horowitz etc. theyre probably the best complete sets you can get.  Pletnev is worth a listen aswell (I think he's recorded the Op. 11 preludes and a few sonatas).

[jam8086]

Does anybody recommend any sets for the complete sonatas?

With the other works, especially the etudes and preludes, can anyone recommend complete sets? (Al, I'm looking into the Piers Lane recordings, thanks!)

What other Scriabin works are worthy of buying a recording?

[da jake]

I have Roberto Szidon's set on DG, and it's very good. It cost me something like 25 bucks (cdn), too!

I hear that Hakon Autsbo's set of Scriabin Sonatas is also very good, but I've yet to hear it.

[pita bread]

Thanks for pointing out Ruth Laredo. Just judging by the sound samples on Amazon, her recording of the complete sonatas and Op. 42 Etudes is definately worth checking out.

[jam8086]

I just bought the Piano Sonatas with Szidon. Thanks, da jake! It was a very good choice.

[presto agitato]

Does anybody recommend any sets for the complete sonatas?

Vladimir Ashkenazy or Hamelin.

For the etudes i recommend Alexander Paley.

[pita bread]

Sofronitsky recorded all the sonatas, but the cd is out of print. I saw a used copy floating around Amazon a few weeks ago. This, in my opinion, would be the most supreme set of Scriabin sonatas, period.