Scriabin Sonata 6 advice

[dkarjala]

I'm looking for any and all tips or advice on the section with three bars and the fast, quiet left-hand arpeggios that goes on for a few pages before the recap. Specifically, I'm curious if anyone here 1) has learned the piece 2) has advice on practicing the rhythm of the middle bar/secondary right hand part (broken sets of triplets, almost appoggiaturas).

I know this is a tall order but I'm a self-learner so giving it a shot!

Thanks.

[nanabush]

I am waiting for a reply to this too!  I am puzzled at the late Sonatas.  The rhythm is just so dense!  I can't think of a practical way of approaching most of the passages in Sonatas 6-10.

[j_menz]

I haven't played this, so take what I say with that in mind.

Looking at the score, seems to me first you need to work out how the hands distribute things. Then, rather than just practicing the middle stave, I'd do the RH. (I'd also do the LH, but that's another matter entirely).

The tricky bit doing the middle bit on it's own is that the triplets start off on a rest. This is especially tricky if you haven't done much like this before. You'll see that sometimes the top stave notes fall on that rest, and sometimes the are held over.  What I would do if it wasn't coming out right would be to play those top notes on the beat (ie, on those rests) until the middle bit felt natural, then start to hold them as marked.

Further, If your not quite sure what the rhythmic effect is that's going on here, I'd probably also listen to several versions of this passage played - score in hand - to get the feel for it. If there's any variance between pianists, Richter is right.

[nanabush]

I'm wondering still with this piece (sorry for resurrecting a nearly dead thread)...how do people make the late Scriabin sonatas 'sing', or I mean how do they sound fluid?  Is it just hours of cranking out polyrhythm after polyrhythm?  Ugh it's hard to explain - these sonatas just seem like they require a VERY different practice method than a piece by Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev.  They are littered with traps throughout, so many sudden changes, complex/absurd passagework weaving with very obscure melodic content.  It's just mind blowing!  I love these pieces to death, but I find it almost paranormal that someone can create a coherent performance of them.  They are just so damn complex!  GRRR!

I know a few people on this forum have actually played some of the late Scriabin (and have posted recordings...); I'm just very curious about how they began the piece right from square one.

[dkarjala]

  What I would do if it wasn't coming out right would be to play those top notes on the beat (ie, on those rests) until the middle bit felt natural, then start to hold them as marked.

This simple suggestion hit me like a shock - it's gold, thank you.

Further, If your not quite sure what the rhythmic effect is that's going on here, I'd probably also listen to several versions of this passage played - score in hand - to get the feel for it. If there's any variance between pianists, Richter is right.

"Richter is right". I love it. I always search him on Youtube to hear how Prokofiev and Scriabin should sound.