@Sword1479 Not ahead, just with his time. Schoenberg and Stravinsky were also exploring this new music. Berlioz, now that man was certainly ahead of his time!
Amazing performance. Even now, after I have studied and played the sonata and I can hear all the wrong notes, Richter's energy, sense of musical structure, and dramatic awareness are superb.
Horowitz said Scriabin was crazy, but what a genious. His phantasy was so widespread which opens new horozons. People were not prepared to this and all which is new is first rejected.... Scriabin wasn t crazy when he wrote this but his spirit went far away from reality of every day life. He was in a new world. Il was his refuge this phantasyworld of his music.
@werq34ac it gave me hell when I first started learning it. It comes naturally after a while though, just as in any piece. All it really is is just 2 on 3. Its not too hard.
i think in the beginning they drop richter onto the stage from big height - part of the entertaining show, you know - and he lands right on the piano, and pretends it's the start of the piece and just continues on.
It's true- Richter does seem to ignore some of the composer's markings and maybe takes some sections excessively fast, overlooking details. But on the whole, is this not a brilliant performance? Few pianists bring so much passion and energy to this piece.
God ! This music never fails to excite me.Skryabin was exceptional and he wrote orchestral music that showed he was a GREAT ORRCHESTRATOR .Chopin dies giving us a trio and cello sonata another 10 years who knows.Maybe S old crazy reborn.His words onpage reveal a personality unlike many others. This is D.H.Lawrence as Russian with repressed homo urges.Lawrence did wht he wanted no repression with him.Sky was def interesting.This music is almost sensual bad taste.Needs chopinclassicist restraint!
Gay or not, Richter together with Gilels were the two greatest painists that ever lived! Some say Lizst, but has anybody heard him play ...only testimony of others i am afraid.
Its a great interpretation of this sonata, and i enjoy Richter very much.. but he skips over so much detail! The allegro sections that always come after the Meno Vivo themes are marked p and pp, he plays them forte, and skips over plenty of accel and rits. I feel like richter doesn't take scriabin's tempo and dynamic markings seriously enough
Words cannot describe how much I love Richter's interpretation of this piece. I also have Horowitz's as well, but this version is far more powerful, brooding, and epic in its presentation and delivery. Its almost creepy and eerie to me, and it reminds me of edgar allen poe poems...
i dont really care if richter was homo or anything... this is a very good interpretation, very different than the horowitz version... both are great!!!!!! you know... russian music is in the blood...
Help me, I'm learning this piece now. Scriabin forgot to write Presto again at 5:00 I think. But many pianists play it in the same slow tempo, which is correct?
He skips over quite a lot of detail, and not all of the harmony is always audible. I actually think it needs much more ego and more unpredictability, quirkiness, over-the-top-ness: Scriabin himself was a megalomaniac, and this Sonata is based on a quotation from his own ego-manifesto, Poem of Ecstasy. Food for thought...
I don't wish to discuss this (to me uninteresting) subject, but at least you could actually read Wikipedia article on Richter, it is twice cited. I found this on WP only few seconds after reading your message with simple search functions...
"Richter was homosexual, and while his sexual orientation was an open secret in the Soviet musical world, this sexual behavior was illegal and punishable by Soviet law."
@coasterman16 Is fun that you comment about sexuality in a video about music, you could say that Richter was one of the greatest pianist in the last generation too.
@OceanbornSWT I adore Richter and have no problem with or desire to know anything about his sexuality. My quote from wikipedia was directed @thesillyc**t who wrote "Was Sviatoslav Richter really gay? If he was, how come Wikipedia does not say so? It is not documented so I don't believe it."
I hope one day I will be able to play this piece as well as Richter. This is simply amazing. Not only Richter's performance, but the piece itself! That anybody can call this "Organized noise" simply blows my mind. This is aura pleasure in the raw. Nothing comes close.
Ummm....I don't think you know what you're talking about. If you want to look at this piece in comparison to his other output look at it as his evolution of style through his piano sonatas. This is No. 5. His later ones through No 10 stretch tonality far more than this one. And they are still perfectly tonal. And in sonata form, and following MANY 16th and 17th century models. Maybe you should...listen?
Not an interesting comment; all you tell us is that you don't understand...
I do not understand, for instance...chinese, but i wouldn't presume that it's a useless language just by my incapacity. Your life could possibly be enriched by more openness.
Probably not my favorite sonata by Scriabin (I definitely prefer Nos. 2, 3, may be No. 4, and of course Nos. 9&10), but anyway everything becomes gold when played by Richter.
Indeed, it's all the difference in the world comparing a good recording i e this one with a bad one. It's the same notes but still the bad recording might just as well be a totally different piece.
It should also be noted the importance that this piece serves in documenting the growth of Scriabin as a composer. This 5th Sonata marks the beginning of a new period, where he begins to use atonal techniques in his writing. Everything before this, while incredible, is very Romantic in style, but everything after this is written atonally, as he eventually discarded the use of a key signature in his later sonatas altogether. Scriabin himself saw the piece as very important, as he refers to it
in an epitaph written in conjunction with his Poem of Ecstasy, stating "I summon you to life, hidden longings! You, drowned in the dark depths of the creative spirit, you fearful embryos of life, I bring you daring!" (This is mentioned in the description of the video, but the epitaph itself was not written until long afterwards.)
This piece may not be the pinnacle (in terms of quality) of Scriabin's brilliant work, but it marks a very important paradigm shift in Scriabin's approach to music.
This version is without doubt the best at conveying the fire, the uncertainty, and the fear Scriabin intended. I guess that is what makes Richter rise above everybody else - his ability to connect with every single piece he played. Bravo!
Honestly, i think the beginning was written to wake up the people who doze off or engage in conversations during concert. I've been to a few with this piece and it works pretty well. Debussy's Jardins sous la Pluie seems to have the same effect too.
I believe that if anyone is looking for a forte performance of Scriabin's 5th, this is definitely the one to listent to despite the technical slips here and there which really do no harm to the work. However, I cannot consider it the definitive recording. It would have to be Sofronitzky ot Horowitz for me. Richter's performance however, is still amazing and I love his force and how he attacks the piece instead of becoming too sentimental with the work (a modern tendency I despise!)
if he had the slightest trouble executing it,he wouldn't have even considered adding it to his repertoire...In order to make it work,it always has to flow as if its water!
Actually, there's a pretty fair number of technical mistakes here, it sounds like Cortot at times (except, of course, not as good a sound). Also, the balance is not too great (could just be the video, I guess, but still). Sofronitsky's recording of this piece is in almost every way better- cut to the bone. This is far from the best recording of Richter I have heard.
Ach you are just nit-picking now. This is Richter, whether it tickles your taste buds or not, and there's not point saying who's "better". I'm sure sofronitzky is very good it in this piece, but you know I quite like the balance of sound here. And besides, it;'s the message that counts only, and Richter certainly managed to get his accross!
OK, the technical mistakes thing definitely was nitpicking (I am an enormous fan of Cortot, after all), but in addition, here he doesn't always bring out the inner voices too much, and the phrasing is in some places rushed. I'm just saying, Sofronitsky was more laid back but at the same time more wild- there are times when he's almost smashing the piano into pieces. And I've heard Richter give way more subtle and satisfying performances- like, for instance, the last three Beethoven sonatas.
@tydhq ""'This is Scriabin's most recorded sonata. The legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter has described it as the most difficult piece in the entire piano repertory (along with Liszt's first Mephisto Waltz)[1]. A typical performance lasts about 11-12 minutes.""""
Yes. Richter himself considered this the hardest piece ever written for piano. Although many would contest that designation (myself included) it is definitely "up there." Also, it is harder to interpret effectively than Rach 2, in my opinion.
@annefrankisaho I can't speak for him... but I can give you some ideas I have. Ravel - La Gaspard de la Nuit, Miroirs. Prokofiev - Sonata No. 6. Stravinsky - Petrouchka (piano solo version obviously). Scriabin - Sonatas 6, 7, 8 for various reasons. And a lot of other stuff to get you started.
The hardest part about this sonata are the damn INSANE jumps that you have to do. You could easily break something on this piece.
At 10:19 I love how the quiet "languido" theme returns in such a blissful, powerful way, as if the entire piece has been leading up to that ecstatic moment. Then the "presto" theme returns along with the wild opening arpeggios that go screaming off into oblivion ... no matter how many times I hear this piece, it's an exhilarating experience!
this is the most incredible piece of romantic piano playing I have ever heard in my life. thank you for this! and no. 2 which is better than Sofronitsky. this must be Scriabin's solo piano masterpiece. I agree, it is one of, or the most difficult technically to play.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
You're the ignorant one, perdipedophile. Prokofiev's No. 7 isn't called "precipitato" for nothing! And only Marta Agritch can play it, moron!! It's the most difficult piano piece....
Prok7 is not "called precipitato". Only the last movement. It demands a basic, narrow strength and stamina, possesed by thousands of very ordinary pianists.
Skr5 demands the widest spectrum of pianistic super-skills plus a heightened musical imagination far beyond all but the rarest of artists.
I agree. I only found Scriabin a few weeks ago and he's already my favorite piano composer. In matters of strings, Shostakovich prevails. But when it comes to piano, Scriabin always wins out.
No one else combined religious mystycism with emotion like Scriabin quite as well, and in my opinion adding the emotion to religious is one of the utmost key elements.
why don't people just agree that sciabin is the best composer ever. forget mozart. Amadeus wasn't the only guy composing in nappies, most of Scriabin's preludes are pre-teen and does a mozart sonata really compare to Scriabin's depth? *cough* I think not.
What Makes Mozart good, it´s not the fact that he started composing when he was a kid, but his pieces when he was a complete man. Besides, your being unfair, cuz I bet Scriabin would have done other things if he lived the age Mozart did, they are both great, Mozart did excelent things, so Scriabin did...if you compare to different ages, is like saying Schoenberg is better than Palestrina... !! come on!!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
i dunno man, listen to some of richter's flawless performances, this just isn't characteristic of him. i performed this piece a month ago and didn't really make any mistakes, although my tempo was slightly slower in some areas.
You know, when I was going to upload it, I had two Richter recordings to choose from, this one, and a newer one with less mistakes. However, the "less-mistake" version didn't have the same energy, in this recording you can really feel the power of the piece... The choice between the recordings was obvious to me =)
I really don't understand this kind of criticism... If you performed this piece yourself, as I have as well, you surely recognize the clarity that Richter brought to it. Certain places make so much more sense, at least for me, listening to his interpretation, so the technical errors don't bother me.
One of the biggest things about piano is that it's the pianist's INTERPRETATION of the piece. Some pianists may not want to play it with perfect technique, they may want to stress different beats or hold notes a little longer. When it comes down to it, it's not who plays better (unless you're talking a professional versus someone who learned piano yesterday), it's whose interpretation you prefer. I agree with your comment, by the way.
I agree with CoolWJL. Many errors but technically he seems to go beyond human possibilities. Scriabin is full of teosophic concepts, you must hit the chords as whith electric rays. Pure visions.
I'm a 39 year old guy who is re-discovering the piano. I played this piece at 21, it's probably the highlight of my study. I absolutely hated the rigors of the piano and stopped for 10 years, only to start anew now. Scriabin has been my gateway back in. I can now only play the preludes, but hearing this sublime performance makes me want to get my "chops" back again. This is pianism of the highest order. Sometimes all you can do is wonder...
This is total genius, I have a different recoring of richter doing this where he gets a little more mystery from the slower passages, but this is equally brilliant. This is the piece that made me relalise that richter wad the greatest. Other supposedly fine performances - horowitz - pale in comparison. And fantastic to see how he is responding to the score. thankyou.
Yes indeed... first time I listened to the CD, I had no idea who Scriabin was. I had heard one of his earlier sonatas (n.2) previously on the CD, and I had the volume on quite high. Then, suddenly, BOOM, sonata n.5 starts, and I get scared to pieces xD
mmmm prefer Rachmaninoff
Rasterius 3 months ago
@Rasterius Eh, that's your opinion, I guess, but Scriabin was ahead of his time
Sword1479 3 months ago
@Sword1479 Not ahead, just with his time. Schoenberg and Stravinsky were also exploring this new music. Berlioz, now that man was certainly ahead of his time!
Rasterius 3 months ago
Amazing performance. Even now, after I have studied and played the sonata and I can hear all the wrong notes, Richter's energy, sense of musical structure, and dramatic awareness are superb.
34f2u1to 9 months ago
BEST SCRIABIN SONATAS ARE 5TH, 7TH, AND 10 (SCRIABIN PERSONAL FAUVORITE WAS THE 7TH)
elicandondo 11 months ago
I had never heard this before now. The start raped my ears.
purplekitteh 1 year ago
@purplekitteh no means yes in this case.
alcoholya 3 months ago
this composition is much complex than feux follets i think
mayorde18 1 year ago
6:52, incredible overtones. The whole performance is breathtaking.
KeithWhalen11 1 year ago
that's how you play that first note....
ReturnOfTheStienway 1 year ago 2
Richter is a force of nature.
micheldvorsky 1 year ago 3
this is unbelieveable.
buenobus 1 year ago 2
Comment removed
youwel 1 year ago
Horowitz said Scriabin was crazy, but what a genious. His phantasy was so widespread which opens new horozons. People were not prepared to this and all which is new is first rejected.... Scriabin wasn t crazy when he wrote this but his spirit went far away from reality of every day life. He was in a new world. Il was his refuge this phantasyworld of his music.
uhartchristian 1 year ago 2
Amazing!
WagnerMahler 1 year ago 2
Comment removed
youwel 1 year ago
Lol, offbeat polyrhythms. How crazy can you get with Scriabin?
werq34ac 1 year ago
@werq34ac it gave me hell when I first started learning it. It comes naturally after a while though, just as in any piece. All it really is is just 2 on 3. Its not too hard.
aguyfromtexas 1 year ago
@aguyfromtexas I know, I tried it. It's a really fun rhythm.
werq34ac 1 year ago
@werq34ac How crazy can you get with Scriabin? Look up his 8th sonata :)
titusbeertsen 1 year ago
WTF AT THE BEGGINING
openmindspace 1 year ago 3
I fell from the cahir when it started
BLOP888 1 year ago 2
Great !
asv8104 1 year ago
i think in the beginning they drop richter onto the stage from big height - part of the entertaining show, you know - and he lands right on the piano, and pretends it's the start of the piece and just continues on.
ibclappin 1 year ago 17
@ibclappin Hahaha! The thought of that makes me laugh...Wow!
winterwind1810 1 year ago
@ibclappin HAHAHA perfect.
EMPERORMIKI 1 year ago
It's true- Richter does seem to ignore some of the composer's markings and maybe takes some sections excessively fast, overlooking details. But on the whole, is this not a brilliant performance? Few pianists bring so much passion and energy to this piece.
squishym 1 year ago 3
@cpdavidzas
scriabin
pozsoz 1 year ago
God ! This music never fails to excite me.Skryabin was exceptional and he wrote orchestral music that showed he was a GREAT ORRCHESTRATOR .Chopin dies giving us a trio and cello sonata another 10 years who knows.Maybe S old crazy reborn.His words onpage reveal a personality unlike many others. This is D.H.Lawrence as Russian with repressed homo urges.Lawrence did wht he wanted no repression with him.Sky was def interesting.This music is almost sensual bad taste.Needs chopinclassicist restraint!
lovesGenet 1 year ago 2
8:20 getting a little excitable there.
demosj 1 year ago
Gay or not, Richter together with Gilels were the two greatest painists that ever lived! Some say Lizst, but has anybody heard him play ...only testimony of others i am afraid.
301250 1 year ago
@301250
Funny quote i spotted at Wikipedia:
Horowitz, who denied being homosexual, once joked "There are three kinds of pianists: Jewish pianists, homosexual pianists, and bad pianists."
thisismymoniker 1 year ago
@301250 hm i would say that posterity is enough too say that he is one of the greatest pianists ever.
gouloum2222 1 year ago
10:05 OMG!!!!!!!!!!
Ravel87 1 year ago 2
Its a great interpretation of this sonata, and i enjoy Richter very much.. but he skips over so much detail! The allegro sections that always come after the Meno Vivo themes are marked p and pp, he plays them forte, and skips over plenty of accel and rits. I feel like richter doesn't take scriabin's tempo and dynamic markings seriously enough
trntlobne 1 year ago 2
Words cannot describe how much I love Richter's interpretation of this piece. I also have Horowitz's as well, but this version is far more powerful, brooding, and epic in its presentation and delivery. Its almost creepy and eerie to me, and it reminds me of edgar allen poe poems...
luke1841 2 years ago 6
i dont really care if richter was homo or anything... this is a very good interpretation, very different than the horowitz version... both are great!!!!!! you know... russian music is in the blood...
lecheparavaka 2 years ago 2
who wrote that quote that was found on pg 11
cpdavidzas 2 years ago
Help me, I'm learning this piece now. Scriabin forgot to write Presto again at 5:00 I think. But many pianists play it in the same slow tempo, which is correct?
klvinbagoly 2 years ago
Be yourself. That's the right thing.
anferlo 2 years ago 2
if ur learning this piece...u shouldnt be asking that question.
cpdavidzas 2 years ago
He skips over quite a lot of detail, and not all of the harmony is always audible. I actually think it needs much more ego and more unpredictability, quirkiness, over-the-top-ness: Scriabin himself was a megalomaniac, and this Sonata is based on a quotation from his own ego-manifesto, Poem of Ecstasy. Food for thought...
flibbertergibbet 2 years ago
Comment removed
y1g1tcn 2 years ago
Awesome. At times I think this the best piano playing ever. Fierce, commanding yet without ego and mannerism.
mjelle1965 2 years ago
Was Sviatoslav Richter really gay? If he was, how come Wikipedia does not say so? It is not documented so I don't believe it.
thesillycunt 2 years ago
I don't wish to discuss this (to me uninteresting) subject, but at least you could actually read Wikipedia article on Richter, it is twice cited. I found this on WP only few seconds after reading your message with simple search functions...
yekhaty 2 years ago
"Richter was homosexual, and while his sexual orientation was an open secret in the Soviet musical world, this sexual behavior was illegal and punishable by Soviet law."
Direct quote from Wikipedia.
coasterman16 2 years ago
@coasterman16 Is fun that you comment about sexuality in a video about music, you could say that Richter was one of the greatest pianist in the last generation too.
OceanbornSWT 2 years ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
@OceanbornSWT I adore Richter and have no problem with or desire to know anything about his sexuality. My quote from wikipedia was directed @thesillyc**t who wrote "Was Sviatoslav Richter really gay? If he was, how come Wikipedia does not say so? It is not documented so I don't believe it."
coasterman16 2 years ago
Who cares?Not everyone wans their sex life to be public.
remyrem121 2 years ago 2
Richter's use of pedal is very nice indeed. Did I say the man has technique too?
wangdasan 2 years ago 4
This has been flagged as spam show
no fucking way !!!!
crackapolo 2 years ago
Er actually he has a lot more technical hiccups than you would expect...
trigalg693 2 years ago
I hope one day I will be able to play this piece as well as Richter. This is simply amazing. Not only Richter's performance, but the piece itself! That anybody can call this "Organized noise" simply blows my mind. This is aura pleasure in the raw. Nothing comes close.
aguyfromtexas 2 years ago 6
I meant aural. As in ears =P
aguyfromtexas 2 years ago 2
I cannot think of a more thought provoking, compelling piece to listen to.
Scriabin: the pinnacle of 21st century composition.
Rachmanomaniac 2 years ago 5
@Rachmanomaniac he wasn't even alive in 21st century...
xodn3300 11 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Yay! More organized noise.
I don't understand how people can like this...
Tokkemon 2 years ago
Dude are you nuts? It's Scriabin...like one of the most tonal composers of the 20th century...
toneeeeeee 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
And his other output has any bearing on this piece because...?
Tokkemon 2 years ago
Ummm....I don't think you know what you're talking about. If you want to look at this piece in comparison to his other output look at it as his evolution of style through his piano sonatas. This is No. 5. His later ones through No 10 stretch tonality far more than this one. And they are still perfectly tonal. And in sonata form, and following MANY 16th and 17th century models. Maybe you should...listen?
toneeeeeee 2 years ago
"organized noise"??? sorry you cant understand scriabin's music...
lecheparavaka 2 years ago 2
And have you even listened to the whole thing? At around 1:40 it sounds pretty tchaikovskysian.
toneeeeeee 2 years ago
Not an interesting comment; all you tell us is that you don't understand...
I do not understand, for instance...chinese, but i wouldn't presume that it's a useless language just by my incapacity. Your life could possibly be enriched by more openness.
NOSEhow2LIV 2 years ago
Probably not my favorite sonata by Scriabin (I definitely prefer Nos. 2, 3, may be No. 4, and of course Nos. 9&10), but anyway everything becomes gold when played by Richter.
Kobzar3374 2 years ago
Indeed, it's all the difference in the world comparing a good recording i e this one with a bad one. It's the same notes but still the bad recording might just as well be a totally different piece.
Pianoplayer002 2 years ago
It should also be noted the importance that this piece serves in documenting the growth of Scriabin as a composer. This 5th Sonata marks the beginning of a new period, where he begins to use atonal techniques in his writing. Everything before this, while incredible, is very Romantic in style, but everything after this is written atonally, as he eventually discarded the use of a key signature in his later sonatas altogether. Scriabin himself saw the piece as very important, as he refers to it
The3lse 2 years ago 2
in an epitaph written in conjunction with his Poem of Ecstasy, stating "I summon you to life, hidden longings! You, drowned in the dark depths of the creative spirit, you fearful embryos of life, I bring you daring!" (This is mentioned in the description of the video, but the epitaph itself was not written until long afterwards.)
This piece may not be the pinnacle (in terms of quality) of Scriabin's brilliant work, but it marks a very important paradigm shift in Scriabin's approach to music.
The3lse 2 years ago
This version is without doubt the best at conveying the fire, the uncertainty, and the fear Scriabin intended. I guess that is what makes Richter rise above everybody else - his ability to connect with every single piece he played. Bravo!
Toweley22992 2 years ago 7
Honestly, i think the beginning was written to wake up the people who doze off or engage in conversations during concert. I've been to a few with this piece and it works pretty well. Debussy's Jardins sous la Pluie seems to have the same effect too.
Lukecash12 2 years ago 4
I believe that if anyone is looking for a forte performance of Scriabin's 5th, this is definitely the one to listent to despite the technical slips here and there which really do no harm to the work. However, I cannot consider it the definitive recording. It would have to be Sofronitzky ot Horowitz for me. Richter's performance however, is still amazing and I love his force and how he attacks the piece instead of becoming too sentimental with the work (a modern tendency I despise!)
scriabinwasmydad 2 years ago 2
beautifull music so different and so dark .
The music is like thoughts of the composer..............
JUST PERFECT SOUND ,TOUCH and divine...........O-o
kempff95 2 years ago 2
I really like your video presentation with scrolling score. A great idea, and useful for students too. Thanks.
malcuzynski 2 years ago 7
Comment removed
maydengarNSBHS 2 years ago 12
too much for me ^^ this is so extreme :p
exanovaa 2 years ago 4
that music is so unrestrictedly !!!!
kempff95 2 years ago
Ahah! i thought it was soft and slow like a Mozart sonata! ah!
Angel94angel94 2 years ago 2
Do u think this is harder, in any way, than Rach's 2nd?
tydhq 2 years ago 20
Richter said this was the hardest in the repertoire .....
777cc777 2 years ago
Well he certainly has no trouble executing it!
davidgray2 2 years ago 6
if he had the slightest trouble executing it,he wouldn't have even considered adding it to his repertoire...In order to make it work,it always has to flow as if its water!
HelveteKeiser 2 years ago 2
Actually, there's a pretty fair number of technical mistakes here, it sounds like Cortot at times (except, of course, not as good a sound). Also, the balance is not too great (could just be the video, I guess, but still). Sofronitsky's recording of this piece is in almost every way better- cut to the bone. This is far from the best recording of Richter I have heard.
DevilsInstrument 2 years ago 2
Ach you are just nit-picking now. This is Richter, whether it tickles your taste buds or not, and there's not point saying who's "better". I'm sure sofronitzky is very good it in this piece, but you know I quite like the balance of sound here. And besides, it;'s the message that counts only, and Richter certainly managed to get his accross!
davidgray2 2 years ago 2
OK, the technical mistakes thing definitely was nitpicking (I am an enormous fan of Cortot, after all), but in addition, here he doesn't always bring out the inner voices too much, and the phrasing is in some places rushed. I'm just saying, Sofronitsky was more laid back but at the same time more wild- there are times when he's almost smashing the piano into pieces. And I've heard Richter give way more subtle and satisfying performances- like, for instance, the last three Beethoven sonatas.
DevilsInstrument 2 years ago
In any way. Sure
ipvac1 2 years ago 2
@tydhq Very much so.
Lukecash12 1 year ago
@tydhq ""'This is Scriabin's most recorded sonata. The legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter has described it as the most difficult piece in the entire piano repertory (along with Liszt's first Mephisto Waltz)[1]. A typical performance lasts about 11-12 minutes.""""
Martel211996 1 year ago
@Martel211996 ive always thought that the hardest piece was the Liszt Sonata... But this one (Scriabin Sonata) truly is very very hard =)
youwel 1 year ago
@tydhq lmao!!!!!!!!!!
Ravel87 1 year ago
Yes. Richter himself considered this the hardest piece ever written for piano. Although many would contest that designation (myself included) it is definitely "up there." Also, it is harder to interpret effectively than Rach 2, in my opinion.
briawnaanderson 6 months ago
@briawnaanderson
What do you feel is more difficult? Not arguing, just curious.
annefrankisaho 6 months ago
@annefrankisaho I can't speak for him... but I can give you some ideas I have. Ravel - La Gaspard de la Nuit, Miroirs. Prokofiev - Sonata No. 6. Stravinsky - Petrouchka (piano solo version obviously). Scriabin - Sonatas 6, 7, 8 for various reasons. And a lot of other stuff to get you started.
The hardest part about this sonata are the damn INSANE jumps that you have to do. You could easily break something on this piece.
XavierMacX 1 month ago
3:50... I love how scriabin writes "Allegro Fantastico" for 3 bars, and then changes it to "Presto Tumultuoso...".
coaster1000 2 years ago 3
Enjoyed this a great deal. Thanks for uploading.
daandwars 2 years ago 2
Great performance -- wish the musical score wasn't translated into English! Somehow Scriabin doesn't work in English :)
babysonali 2 years ago
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Thank you, Pianoplay,(and you give us a "plus'",whith the poem transcription) .
klinsha8 2 years ago 5
At 10:19 I love how the quiet "languido" theme returns in such a blissful, powerful way, as if the entire piece has been leading up to that ecstatic moment. Then the "presto" theme returns along with the wild opening arpeggios that go screaming off into oblivion ... no matter how many times I hear this piece, it's an exhilarating experience!
cerzule 3 years ago 3
this is the most incredible piece of romantic piano playing I have ever heard in my life. thank you for this! and no. 2 which is better than Sofronitsky. this must be Scriabin's solo piano masterpiece. I agree, it is one of, or the most difficult technically to play.
cynic150 3 years ago 7
Comment removed
Kalen1457 3 years ago 7
the slow build up it totally worth it when it gets to 7:22. ...amazing
123eldest 3 years ago 10
Richter said that this is the most difficult piece of piano repertoire...
perdipe 3 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
No idiot, Prokofiev's sonata #7 is much more difficult.
MrAsungot 3 years ago
Is Richter opinion, not my opinion or your irrelevant opinion, ignorant. Look at wikipedia "sonata no. 5 (scriabin)" -_-
perdipe 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
You're the ignorant one, perdipedophile. Prokofiev's No. 7 isn't called "precipitato" for nothing! And only Marta Agritch can play it, moron!! It's the most difficult piano piece....
MrAsungot 3 years ago
hahaha ok, you are absolutely right. Bravo for your knowledge
perdipe 3 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you sound very condescending........ FUCK YOU!
SamuelConcepcion 3 years ago
your channel is very similar to your friend channel...
perdipe 3 years ago
lmao. I have to agree that their channels are eerily similar.
Lukecash12 3 years ago
Sam is my son; we use the same desktop at home.
MrAsungot 2 years ago
I side with perdipe.
micheldvorsky 3 years ago 2
Comment removed
Lukecash12 2 years ago
There are pianists with far greater technical faculties than Martha Argerich...Richter is a perfect example, I'd say.
OverFjell 2 years ago 4
Prok7 is not "called precipitato". Only the last movement. It demands a basic, narrow strength and stamina, possesed by thousands of very ordinary pianists.
Skr5 demands the widest spectrum of pianistic super-skills plus a heightened musical imagination far beyond all but the rarest of artists.
NOSEhow2LIV 2 years ago 3
Are you a pianist? A good one? You sound elitist and narrow-minded to me. Sorry to burst your bubble.......
thesillycunt 2 years ago 2
So glad to see you're living up to your username..
NOSEhow2LIV 2 years ago 3
Thousands play Prok7 very well. Only two or three have ever got close to Skr5, and it's still waiting............
NOSEhow2LIV 2 years ago
I agree. I only found Scriabin a few weeks ago and he's already my favorite piano composer. In matters of strings, Shostakovich prevails. But when it comes to piano, Scriabin always wins out.
DerekGuenther 3 years ago 5
I've listened to this piece hundreds of times, and yet it never has bore me.
Kalen1457 3 years ago 12
Gotta love that little rhythm introduced at 1:40..ingenious,
Kalen1457 3 years ago 7
No one else combined religious mystycism with emotion like Scriabin quite as well, and in my opinion adding the emotion to religious is one of the utmost key elements.
Lukecash12 3 years ago
Great stuff! Which of Richter's several performances of Scriabin's 5th Sonata is this?
LeonFleisherFan 3 years ago 5
Not sure. In my CD booklet it says it was recorded 24 september 1972. It is possible that it was recorded in Prague...
Pianoplayer002 3 years ago
Thanks for your reply. Yes, Richter gave a recital in Prague that day.
LeonFleisherFan 3 years ago
I agree that Scriabin is enthralling. Absolutely unique, and he wasn't one of a kind just to say he was one of a kind. He redefined everything...
Lukecash12 3 years ago 5
Richter brings a striking luminescence to this piece that, I think, many other performers lack.
coasterman16 3 years ago 11
This comment has received too many negative votes show
rachmaninov is better , but the russian composers are the best at all :)
4ubi 3 years ago
wow!
why don't people just agree that sciabin is the best composer ever. forget mozart. Amadeus wasn't the only guy composing in nappies, most of Scriabin's preludes are pre-teen and does a mozart sonata really compare to Scriabin's depth? *cough* I think not.
jazzlover06 3 years ago 8
What Makes Mozart good, it´s not the fact that he started composing when he was a kid, but his pieces when he was a complete man. Besides, your being unfair, cuz I bet Scriabin would have done other things if he lived the age Mozart did, they are both great, Mozart did excelent things, so Scriabin did...if you compare to different ages, is like saying Schoenberg is better than Palestrina... !! come on!!
innerdeth 2 years ago 4
scriabin lived longer than mozart. or did you mean the time period?
kepler101 2 years ago
sorry i was talking about the time period
innerdeth 2 years ago
What a FUCK interpretation, in a positive way! The best ever!!!
stehling28 3 years ago 4
scriabin wrote some beautiful melodies, this one reminds me a lot of the sonata fantasie
vcupiano 3 years ago 5
Very difficult peace... I would recomend it only in serious competition, otherwise it probably would be missunderstood
gateris1 3 years ago 8
This is such a fantastic piece, and I love Richter's energetic, magical interpretation of it. I would love to perform this someday!
cerzule 3 years ago 5
Beautiful piece, beautiful performance.
tempodimarcia 3 years ago 5
Hi, can anyone tell me if this is a good competition piece? If so, would it be ok to also mention whats good about it? Thank you.
hatake16 3 years ago 3
Definitely, can't you tell by the difficulty of it that is would?
Kalen1457 3 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
i dunno man, listen to some of richter's flawless performances, this just isn't characteristic of him. i performed this piece a month ago and didn't really make any mistakes, although my tempo was slightly slower in some areas.
N8Shokr 3 years ago
You know, when I was going to upload it, I had two Richter recordings to choose from, this one, and a newer one with less mistakes. However, the "less-mistake" version didn't have the same energy, in this recording you can really feel the power of the piece... The choice between the recordings was obvious to me =)
Pianoplayer002 3 years ago
I really don't understand this kind of criticism... If you performed this piece yourself, as I have as well, you surely recognize the clarity that Richter brought to it. Certain places make so much more sense, at least for me, listening to his interpretation, so the technical errors don't bother me.
MEpianist 3 years ago 12
One of the biggest things about piano is that it's the pianist's INTERPRETATION of the piece. Some pianists may not want to play it with perfect technique, they may want to stress different beats or hold notes a little longer. When it comes down to it, it's not who plays better (unless you're talking a professional versus someone who learned piano yesterday), it's whose interpretation you prefer. I agree with your comment, by the way.
DerekGuenther 3 years ago 6
I agree with CoolWJL. Many errors but technically he seems to go beyond human possibilities. Scriabin is full of teosophic concepts, you must hit the chords as whith electric rays. Pure visions.
ricercarehor 3 years ago 4
This is art.
Anders039 3 years ago 5
I'm a 39 year old guy who is re-discovering the piano. I played this piece at 21, it's probably the highlight of my study. I absolutely hated the rigors of the piano and stopped for 10 years, only to start anew now. Scriabin has been my gateway back in. I can now only play the preludes, but hearing this sublime performance makes me want to get my "chops" back again. This is pianism of the highest order. Sometimes all you can do is wonder...
DMAL1234 3 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
this can't possibly be Sviatoslav Richter the piano god. he would never make so many technical errors on every page.
unless maybe its some live recording? from his youth?
N8Shokr 3 years ago
He's attacking the piece absolutely full on, deliberately, to the limit of what is humanly possible.
This is Scriabin, notes are meant to fly off the key.
CoolWJL 3 years ago 5
The extreme contrasts are perfect for this piece.
Reaper978 3 years ago 3
unique
Coixxman 3 years ago 2
Pure ecstasy at the piano...
georgecziffra 3 years ago 6
This is total genius, I have a different recoring of richter doing this where he gets a little more mystery from the slower passages, but this is equally brilliant. This is the piece that made me relalise that richter wad the greatest. Other supposedly fine performances - horowitz - pale in comparison. And fantastic to see how he is responding to the score. thankyou.
eeread86 3 years ago 5
this piece changed the history of music.
ibclappin 3 years ago 5
Scriabin has his own unique style of music.
Kalen1457 3 years ago
I didnt mean that as a bad thing, thats the only reason why Scriabin is one of my favorite composers.
Kalen1457 3 years ago
Comment removed
Kalen1457 3 years ago
hehe, i'm playing this piece now, and it's nowhere as good as this. ugh, so much more work to do.
davidyko 3 years ago
What a powerful opening
Ravel87 3 years ago 2
Yes indeed... first time I listened to the CD, I had no idea who Scriabin was. I had heard one of his earlier sonatas (n.2) previously on the CD, and I had the volume on quite high. Then, suddenly, BOOM, sonata n.5 starts, and I get scared to pieces xD
Pianoplayer002 3 years ago
that is a pretty scary opening! To think, such a huge sound with only two notes.
despina41 3 years ago 5
Much of the credit should go to Richter, I've heard many surprisingly pathetic openings to this piece
Pianoplayer002 3 years ago
I like having the score to follow along with.
emilygclarinet 3 years ago
What sadist didn't rate this video 5 stars??
georgecziffra 3 years ago 9
Perhaps people who have heard Gleen Goulds version.
Endomorphian2 3 years ago
Are you kidding? Glenn Gould's recording is one of the worst ever made!
weikko79 3 years ago 6
wow. The piece does not even look playable to me. Wish I could play that. The performance is unbelievable.
aaus 3 years ago
probably my favorite scriabin piece
asdfggbby 4 years ago 3
what about opus 42 no.5
123eldest 3 years ago 2
Thank you for this -- incomparable performance by the supreme musician, with the score: tremendously satisfying!
iedsri 4 years ago 3
Awesome rendition, Richter was great in Scriabin, I appreciate the score.
suzettegm 4 years ago 3
Thank you for upload!
Great!
truecrypt 4 years ago
wot da ferk
valentine007 4 years ago
great stufff
chad410 4 years ago