Best Scriabin Prelude (Op. 11) to start with?

[davidjosepha]

I listened through all of Scriabin's 24 Preludes Op. 11 for the first time today and fell in love. I just ordered a book of them. When it arrives, does anyone have any recommendation on which one to start with? There are several that I absolutely loved when I heard them (although I haven't listened through the set enough to know which ones those are...), so obviously I could pick one of those, but I know it's good practice to start with an easier piece by a composer to get accustomed to their style. Piano Street's list of compositions has been supremely unhelpful since anything more difficult than Fur Elise is marked as 8+, so it's impossible to compare difficulty.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

David

[49410enrique]

good question. normally i just defer to the old, just play with the one you like/connect w the most musically. really at this level, you're likely to get the most out of using your emotional compass in picking what to focus on but in the spirit of trying to be objectively helpful, try to find several that you are immediately drawn to, then filter those by thing slike tempo (if you are gifted with faster works then start there if you tend to do better with slower and more relaxed tempos go w the slower one). also consider the texture and length of the piece, i.e. you can choose a two page one to try and keep the new learning curve as short as possible before moving on to longer ones, etc.

that's how i'd go about it. welcome to the Scriabinophile's club. we love and welcome new members.

[davidjosepha]

Thanks for the help! I'll definitely try that once they arrive! And yes, what I've heard of Scriabin so far is great.

[49410enrique]

Thanks for the help! I'll definitely try that once they arrive! And yes, what I've heard of Scriabin so far is great.

you're super welcome!
give a listen to the polonaise. it is so freakin incredible!
(just a suggestion, i'm a big fan of this piece so i love helping other poeple discover it )
so it is not stereo but i love Sofrinsky , if you ever are looking for recordings try to give his renditions a  listen first (he married Scriabin's daughter, she was very familiar w Scriabins own playing of many of them and in other cases just knew her fathers music so well she could really help Sofrinsky navigate very ideal interpretations of them)

here's a full page reading link to my scribd feed (i uploaded this score a long time ago but always like to read a long w recordings)
https://www.scribd.com/doc/73535442/Scriabin-Op-21-Polonaise-in-Bb-Minor#fullscreen

[davidjosepha]

great piece. I'll be sure to look into Sofronitsky some more. I find it rather funny, actually. I have friends who, when I put on a recording of Rachmaninoff playing his own third concerto, ask how I can stand to listen to the terrible audio. Usually, I'm a big stickler for getting the best audio quality I can, but with music like this, the poor audio quality doesn't bother me. Sure, all things being equal, I'd take better audio, but I prefer a beautiful interpretation to a good recording. I'd take an old Richter recording over any modern recording every time. It seems, based on the fact that you really like this guy, that you feel the same. I think a lot of people here feel the same.

[scherzo123]

The Prelude Op.11 No.11 is a favorite Scriabin prelude of mine. Maybe you should start with that

[presto agitato]

Num. 14 may be the most difficult one, but in my opinion num.15 is the simplest yet the most beautiful.