Alexandr Scriabin, Etude op 8 No 12

A visionary guy according to some, or an exquisitely maniacal according to others, the mystical Russian composer Alexandr Scriabin undertook at a mature stage of his life the task of creating a monumental multimedia work, "a grandiose religious synthesis of all the arts that would herald the birth of a new world." With this in mind, he wrote in his diary at some point in 1914, that he needed to live "as long as possible". Unfortunately, the ambitious project, called "Mystery", never came to fruition as Scriabin died the following year from septicemia caused by the bite of a miserable mosquito.

Alexandr Scriabin (1872 - 1915)

A composer with no diploma
Twenty years earlier, in 1892, after finishing his studies at the Moscow Conservatory, Alexander Nicolaievich Scriabin had shown signs of rebelliousness and independence by leaving the Conservatory without receiving his diploma due to a disagreement with his tutor, Anton Arenski, despite having obtained a gold medal at the graduation recital for his interpretation of Beethoven's sonata opus 109, an undeniable feat considering that the young pianist experienced difficulties in reaching more than an octave at the keyboard due to his small hands.

The Twelve Etudes of Opus 8
Not much later, in 1898, the Conservatory offered him a position as a piano teacher, a position Scriabin held until 1903. In the meantime, he decided to pursue a career as a concert pianist. To this end, he devoted himself to the creation of his own repertoire, and in a very short time, he produced the two impromptus of opus 7, from 1892, and the twelve Etudes of opus 8, from 1894. Although in the vein of similar works by Chopin and Liszt, the Etudes of Opus 8 show a high sophistication, foreshadowing the individual genius that the composer would later display in his later compositions.

In the rendition by the great Russian master Vladimir Horowitz, we present here the last and most popular of the series, Etude No. 12, which despite its short duration does not lag behind the most demanding of the aforementioned romantics.

Ravel, Daphnis et Chloé - Suite N° 2

The Ballets Russes, the famous ballet company created by the Russian impresario Sergéi Diaghilev in 1907, celebrated its first official season in Paris from May to June 1909, with music by Chopin and by the Russians Borodin, Tcherepnin, and Arenski. The company made a sensation with its vitality and lavish set, which far surpassed the ballet being produced in France in those years. They would have to return year after year. Diaghilev, who was not lacking in instinct, thought it convenient to leave the Russian composers at home for the time being, and the same year of his irruption on the French scene he commissioned Maurice Ravel to compose a ballet.

The ballet
The work, Daphnis et Chloé, described by Ravel as a "choreographic symphony", about an hour-long, suffered numerous production problems, to which were added modest trifles between egos, to which Ravel, who did not share at all Diaghilev's opinion that the choreography should have prominence over the music, was no stranger.

Because of all this, it was not premiered until 1912, though with a lukewarm reception. But it was fully reversed in its re-release the following year. Today it is considered one of Ravel's most brilliant works, if not his masterpiece.

Ravel (1875 - 1937) at the piano, in 1912

The work, in one act divided into three scenes, is based on a Greek poem of the second century and tells the eventful love story between two children: a goatherd, Daphnis, and a shepherdess, Chloé, which ends happily for both of them.

The suites
The work requires a huge orchestra including about fifteen percussion instruments and a "mute" (wordless) choir on and off stage. The complexity of this production led Ravel, a year before its premiere, to extract from the scores an orchestral suite with the first scenes. The same year of the premiere, Ravel extracted a second part, Suite N° 2, taken from the three final scenes and which has become the most demanded on the world's stages, and with it, the most popular.

The rendition is by the Radio Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Australian maestro Daniel Smith.

Rachmaninoff, Moment Musical No 4

Sergéi Rachmaninoff had just turned 19 when fame started knocking on his door. His opera Aleko, with which he had graduated with honors in 1892, gold medal included, was being performed for the first time in St. Petersburg, to great acclaim from the public and critics.
As if this were not enough, a professor at the Conservatory, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, dazzled by the talent shown by the young composer, encouraged him to undertake a concert tour of the main Russian cities, which was, by the way, a great success.

At the Conservatory
But since, today as yesterday, it is better to count on a stable income to solve life, the following year he accepted a professorship at the Conservatory. He held this position for years despite the meager 50 rubles that the position provided him, with which he barely managed to travel around Russia as an itinerant concert pianist.

Financial difficulties
On the other hand, his publishers, enthusiastic since his famous Prelude in C minor were published in 1892, did not respond with the same eagerness to pay royalties. In Russia, they did not exist. Only a negotiated sum was paid to the author on a one-time basis. Despite the recognition he received, by the middle of 1896 Sergéi Rachmaninoff was facing serious financial difficulties.
It was necessary to make some money.

Sergei Rachmaninoff, c. 1909.
(1873 - 1943)

Moments Musicaux, Opus 16
Composed between October and December 1896, Moments Musicaux are a series of six piano pieces of diverse form, ranging from a nocturne, a song without words, a barcarolle, an etude, to a theme with variations. They were composed in imitation of Schubert's Moments Musicaux of 1828, although they distance themselves from the intense lyricism of the latter, for it is not by chance that almost seventy years have passed.

Moment Musical N° 4 in E minor
The enormous technical demands of Musical Moment No. 4, marked presto, shed light on the astonishing virtuosity that Rachmaninoff displayed in his performances, very well paid by the way, especially in the USA, when his cache did not go below 3,000 dollars per recital.
Some scholars have seen some similarities with Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude, with some reason. Others, also with the Prelude in G major, with some less. Both opinions are based on the titanic left hand and the scarce melody that the three works share.

The outstanding rendition is by the pianist born in Beijing in 1987, Yuja Wang.

Chopin, Nocturne op. 48 No. 1

During the eighteen years that Chopin lived in Paris, he was treated by twenty-five doctors who, in turn, diagnosed him with pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic laryngitis, tenacious anemia, muscular weakness, scleroderma, intestinal fragility, and psychasthenia. His lover George Sand was right, then, when she described her Chip, her Chop, her Chopinski, as a being "desperate in intimacy". By 1847, when the relationship had died, or was in its death throes, Sand would confess to a friend that "I have been living like a virgin for seven years, with him and with the others. I have grown old before my time...".

The family, in Paris

But in 1840 there were still ardors if ever there were. Returning from a summer spent at Nohant, madame Sand and her two sons settled that autumn at 16 Rue Pigalle, consisting of two pavilions, joined by a small garden.

Chopin, provisionally lodged in Rue Tronchet, soon joined them, and the following month he was installed there, together with his "family", the only one he had in Paris: Chopin and Maurice in one pavilion, Sand and Solange, in the other. Appearances had to be kept up.

George Sand (Aurore Dupin)
(1804 - 1876)

Working at home
George Sand produced day after day –though at odd hours– a river of words that she turned into novels.
Chopin gave piano lessons, 30 francs an hour, values suggested by Sand. In Paris he did not compose, or composed very little – the long-term works were left for the summer, in Nohant.

He would perhaps correct some short, intimate piece on which he was working, and which he would perhaps unveil that very day in the gloom of the aristocratic salon where the couple had been invited and where Chopin, at least, was received like a prince.

Nocturne op. 48 No. 1

The year 1841 marks the beginning of a fruitful period in Chopin's output. That year saw the appearance of several of his notable works, including the two Nocturnes of Opus 48. Published that same year in Paris, they are dedicated to Laure Duperré, one of his outstanding pupils. The first of these, in C minor, is considered one of Chopin's greatest piano accomplishments in achieving an enrapturing emotionality. Three sections are distinguished in it, amalgamating melancholy, majesty and beauty in just over six minutes of music:

00 Largo / 2:45 Poco piú lento / 5:04 Doppio movimento (twice as fast as the preceding).

The piece experiences stormy passages. Nevertheless, it ends in absolute tranquility.

The rendition is by the fine Chinese pianist, Yundi Li.

Fernando Sor, "Introduction and Variations on a theme by Mozart"

 
Born in Barcelona in 1778 into a wealthy family with a long-standing military tradition, Fernando Sor received from his father a fondness for the guitar and Italian opera. This enthusiasm was heightened when he joined the choir of the Monastery of Montserrat at the age of eleven, where he showed great musical abilities. But later he had to enroll in the military academy of Barcelona because the family was not willing that the military legacy was interrupted by his love of music. Against all odds, during the four years he remained there, he had enough free time to practice the guitar and train in composition.

Napoleon invades Spain
Before the age of twenty, after composing his first opera, he left for Madrid. There he performed minor administrative tasks in government agencies while continuing to compose, privately. He was in that act of magic when, in March 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain and Ferdinand VII had to gently cede the crown to Joseph Bonaparte. After the mutiny of Aranjuez and the uprising of May 2nd, Sor saw his nationalist vein emerge and he fought the invaders with his music and songs of burning patriotic value. However, by 1810 he had already become accustomed to the new regime's presence.

Fernando Sor (1778 - 1839)

Sor, an "afrancesado" (Frenchified)
After the complete defeat of the Spanish army, Sor accepted an administrative position under the rule of the new authorities, because, like many Spaniards, despite the occupation, he also saw in the ideals of the French Revolution an opportunity for the fall of absolutism in his own country. When the French troops withdrew in defeat in 1814, Fernando Sor, together with numerous Spanish intellectuals – the "Frenchified" guys –, left with them for Paris. He never returned to Spain.

A prolific composer

In Paris, London, and Moscow, Fernando Sor developed an extensive and successful career as a guitarist and teacher. Although he composed music for diverse instrumental ensembles, the composer is remembered today mainly as an exceptional guitarist whose corpus of more than one hundred works for the instrument constitutes today an important share of the "classical" repertoire for concert guitar. Among his most popular pieces, his Variations on a theme by Mozart stand by far.

Introduction and variations on a theme by Mozart, Op 9

Published in 1821 and dedicated to his brother Carlos, the thematic material is taken from the finale of the first act of The Magic Flute, the aria "Das klinget so Herrlich", which Sor liked to translate as "O cara Armonia". A highly demanding piece for the performer, it consists of an introduction and five variations (the icing on the cake).

The rendition is by the superb Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic.