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These informative biographies present a revealing look into the events, people and places that influenced the creation of the composer s major works and tell the story of the impact that Russia had on the history of western music.
Alexander Scriabin was an enigmatic figure sometimes considered the first of the modern composers. He composed piano and orchestral music noted for its unusual timbres through which he sought to explore musical symbolism.
Scriabin was born in Moscow on January 6, 1872. He was raised by his great-aunt when his mother died when he was only a year old. In 1994 Scriabin joined Rachmaninoff as a pupil of Zverev, entering the Moscow Conservatory in 1888, graduating with the second highest medal in 1892. While practicing at the keyboard, an injury to his right hand hampered his career as a pianist.
In 1897, Scriabin married a young pianist, but by 1903 his life had taken a new turn. He left his teaching post at the Conservatory and Russia for Europe and abandoned his wife Vera and their four children for a devoted young admirer, Tatyana Schloezer, an addict of cult philosophizing who encouraged him in his fantastic belief in himself as a godlike fount of creativity. He settled in Switzerland and devoted himself to composition.
Scriabin's preoccupation with mystical philosophy filled his composition. His First Symphony has a chorale finale glorifying art as a form of religion. The Third Symphony, The Divine Poem (1903), was based on Theosophical ideas, as were The Poem of Ecstasy (1907) and Prometheus, The Poem of Fire (1910). He also composed sensitive, exquisitely polished piano music, including his 10 sonatas, a concerto, as well as many preludes and short pieces, Scriabin dreamed of redeeming humanity with an all-embracing, mystical fusion of the arts. His absurd death stands in almost absurd contract to the vastness of his final plans On April 14, 1915 he died of blood-poisoning from a boil on his upper lip.
Great Russian Composers - Alexander Scriabin Reviews
Great Russian Composers - Alexander Scriabin Reviews
| 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful  Very Poor Scriabin Biography, This review is from: Great Russian Composers - Alexander Scriabin (DVD) It's only about 25 minutes long, but the material covered in it could have been covered in about 5 minutes... seriously. A lot of scenes of just wandering down dark hallways and wandering in the woods with Scriabin's music playing as background... like the producer wanted it to be some sort of horror flick. There are scenes of rooms and paintings, but we're never told if these belong to Scriabin, or are just settings that meet the horror flick theme. They also refer to Alexander Scriabin's son as his "brother," so I'm uncertain how many of the other facts they lay out in this very short biography are actually true. We see a pair of plastered hands, but are these of Scriabin's hands? Who knows and at this point, it would seem who cares. The only thing that might save this from total obscurity might be the few pictures they show of Scriabin, his wife Vera and mistress Tatiana, some of which may be difficult to come across. For it's viewing enjoyment, however, I would definitely... Read more 1 of 2 people found the following review helpful  You learn something everyday., By This review is from: Great Russian Composers - Alexander Scriabin (DVD) I didn't know anything about this composer, so I appreciated getting a quick lesson about him. This is short enough for one to watch during a lunch break.Like Mussorgsky, he had a musically-talented mother. Like the Beatles, he looked to India for inspiration or repose. His hand was broken at one time and it was questioned whether he could ever perform again. This reminded me of Denzel Washington's character in "Mo' Better Blues" got his lip busted and couldn't play his trumpet anymore. Though Scriabin lived into part of the 1910s, the work never mentions World War II or the Bolshevik Revolution. This work is dark. It has pencil drawings and black-and-white photos. There were no colored images of modern Russia or the former Soviet Union. Even B&W stock footage was chosen for some scenes. The work has long musical interludes, but the titles of works and their level of popularity is never stated. They show a painting of Chopin and a huge amount of time... Read more |
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