Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54, Prometheus, Op. 60 & Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53

“Visionary” and “mystical” are words that are often used to describe Alexander Scriabin’s music. The Russian composer’s The Poem of Ecstasy for large orchestra and the Piano Sonata No. 5, written within six days following the Poem’s completion in 1907, pushed the dial of sensual and spiritual desire far beyond the limits of convention. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, propelled by its superb principal trumpet and Lan Shui’s taut tempos, unleash the score’s surging emotions, while Yevgeny Sudbin’s reading of the single-movement sonata proves even more daring. Prometheus (1910), with its thrilling multitude of orchestral, keyboard, and choral timbres, is the star turn on this recording, delivered here with the irresistible force of an esoteric initiation ritual into a secret world.