Scriabin Etude(s) Opp. 49 and 56

[i heart xenakis]

What's the deal with these?  I can only find No. 4 for Op. 56, and just a single for Op. 49   Were the rest tossed or something?  If so, I'm really disappointed because Op. 56 No. 4 is my favorite Scriabin Etude.

[retrouvailles]

They weren't tossed. The other pieces in each set are not etudes. In Op. 49 (3 Morceaux), the pieces are (in order): Étude, Prélude, and Rêverie. For Op. 56 (4 Piéces), the pieces are: Prélude, Ironies, Nuances, and Étude. You never hear of the others because they aren't etudes, and they basically never make it to CD, except in the Michael Ponti set and maybe like 1 or 2 others.

[i heart xenakis]

They weren't tossed. The other pieces in each set are not etudes. In Op. 49 (3 Morceaux), the pieces are (in order): Étude, Prélude, and Rêverie. For Op. 56 (4 Piéces), the pieces are: Prélude, Ironies, Nuances, and Étude.

oooooh <33 Thanks lawrence.  Btw, know a good rec for the Op. 56?  I just have a set of "Complete Etudes" and it didn't say those were from suites instead of Etude sets is all.

[retrouvailles]

Look back at my post edit. I don't know of any "good" recs.

[quantum]

I've got this:
https://www.amazon.com/Scriabin-Complete-Etudes-Piers-Lane/dp/B000002ZRN

[retrouvailles]

I've got this:
https://www.amazon.com/Scriabin-Complete-Etudes-Piers-Lane/dp/B000002ZRN

I have that too. It does not have the non-etude pieces from each opus, and that is what he is looking for.

After further looking, I think Michael Ponti is the only person to have recorded the non-etude pieces from each of those opuses. His recordings have poor sound quality and poor playing, so it's quite a shame.

[indutrial]

After further looking, I think Michael Ponti is the only person to have recorded the non-etude pieces from each of those opuses. His recordings have poor sound quality and poor playing, so it's quite a shame.

I have that recording and it's not really what I would call a total shame. The recording is old and pretty tinny-sounding, but it only cost me $15 (the Ponti set is 5 discs). I guess this is case of getting exactly what you're paying for, but it at least can temporarily sate my curiosity when I want a basic idea of what one of Scriabin's lesser known works sounds like. It's like having MIDI files of unrecorded works. Not the best, but better than nothing at all. Maybe MIDIs of some of these Scriabin pieces would sound better than Ponti's.

That being said, even by the low quality of the Ponti recording, both of these sets of pieces are some fine pieces of work. The "Nuances" piece in op.56 and op. 49's "Reverie" are wonderfully jazzy little works.

[retrouvailles]

Totally agreed. They're fine pieces of work. And actually, I had forgotten that Piers Lane has some fine recordings of the two preludes that fall in each set. It only leaves 3 pieces that Ponti and only Ponti has done. Hopefully someone will come along and do a modern recording of these two complete sets. If I take a liking to either one of them, I might learn one, also, being the amateur champion of neglected rep that I am.

[mephisto]

Ashkenazy has a pretty damn solid Op. 56.

[retrouvailles]

Yeah I suppose anything is better than Ponti. His recording is still not my vision of a clean, crystal clear, perfect (exaggerated of course) benchmark recording and I would like to see a more modern recording either way.