Alexander SCRIABIN (1872-1915)
24 Preludes, Op. 11 [35:23]
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 [41:19]
Peter Orth (piano)
rec. March 2014, Immanuelskirche, Wuppertal, Germany
CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72684 [76:59]
This is American pianist Peter Orth’s second recording
for Challenge Classics, following his 2014 label debut with Beethoven’s
Diabelli Variations. There are also a number of distinguished discs of chamber
music with the Auryn String Quartet. He was a prizewiner in the US and made
a major career there in the 19080’s but has been based in Europe since
1992. He is the Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the Hochschule for
Music in Detmold, Germany.
It is an interesting idea to pair Scriabin’s 24 Preludes, Op 11 with
Rachmaninov’s Sonata No 1. These works, by Russian contemporaries, composer-pianists
and friends, are really quite different in style – apart from the assumption
of a high level of technical skill on the part of the performer. The Scriabin
is early, the twenty-four items being written in various different places
over several years (1888-96). Some of the pieces were written in his teens,
while most date from 1895/96. They are organised exactly like Chopin’s
great set of 24 Preludes, with the same key sequence moving around the circle
of fifths. It is often said that they resemble Chopin in other ways, including
technically, but still most of them sound like Scriabin, if not yet at his
most characteristic.
For Peter Orth it seems these pieces have been “a constant companion”
since, as a schoolboy, he heard Gina Bachauer play them in Carnegie Hall and
he has recorded them as an offering for the Scriabin centenary in 2015. They
are a worthy contribution to that anniversary, which did not exactly flood
the market with recordings of Op.11. Orth does indeed sound like he is very
familiar with the work which he plays with affection and insight. He acknowledges
the Chopin inheritance in such pieces as numbers 1 and 23, of course, but
still makes us aware of Scriabin’s different harmonic domain, and the
often febrile, questing nature of the music. Number 8 is a good touchstone
– that’s the one with a fast metronome marking that Rachmaninov
ignored when he played it, leading to a dispute with the composer– “it’s
my interpretation” said Sergei; “it’s my music” said
Alexander. Piers Lane on Hyperion takes 1:09 which respects that metronome
mark, while Mikhail Pletnev on Virgin takes 2:25 and does not. Like Rachmaninov’s
recording (2:34) Pletnev’s tempo makes the piece more nostalgic, less
impetuous. Peter Orth steers a middle course with his timing of 1:45 seeking
the best of both worlds, but perhaps getting more of the nostalgia than the
impetuosity. Scriabin would have preferred Lane perhaps – at least over
Rachmaninov, whose version is very affecting, but makes it sound like Rachmaninov.
The other item on Orth’s disc is authentic Rachmaninov, in the form
of the wonderful Sonata No.1, a mature work from the period of the Second
Symphony. This has long been neglected in recitals but has enjoyed several
impressive recent recordings, and Orth’s is another such. His is an
individual view, especially of the opening of the work. Where others favour
a dramatic call to arms, Orth insinuates his way into the long first movement,
with an intimate approach, downplaying dynamic contrast and softening dramatic
outlines. It is an ingratiating entrance, with a rapt delivery of the lovely
B flat melody when that arrives. The drama gathers as the movement progresses,
and Orth’s breadth (his15:34 timing for this movement is a little more
than most), adds a certain weightiness which suits the work’s subtext
– it’s essentially a “Faust Sonata” and homage to
Liszt’s Faust Symphony. The slow movement is searchingly lyrical, and
the finale drives along compellingly and packs the required climactic punches
when required.
In summary a well-filled disc of two major but hardly well known works of
the Russian piano literature, in what I think is a unique coupling. If you
don’t know either, Peter Orth will be a valuable guide to theses contrasted
masterworks. There is very good sound and a booklet note which has the relevant
background to each composer and his opus, but is a bit skimpy on the actual
music. For the seeker after the best version of each work, however coupled,
there are alternatives to investigate, such as the Scriabin from Lane and
Pletnev mentioned above, and Nikolai Lugansky and Leslie Howard in the Rachmaninov,
both of whom add the composer’s Sonata No. 2.
Roy Westbrook
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