Scriabin: Vers la flamme

by Yevgeny Sudbin

Overview

Yevgeny Sudbin writes in his own notes to this 2025 BIS release that Scriabin's music "brings out a primordially raw and physical reaction in me." One might not hear that in the short Vers la flamme, Op. 72, that gives the album its title. The work, according to Vladimir Horowitz (who met Scriabin when he was ten), "symbolizes a gradual but constant accumulation of heat and energy that would ultimately lead to this 'ocean of fire' annihilating the world." Pretty prophetic for climate change times! Sudbin may not be in Horowitz's league here, but the primordial quality comes through in a different way. He offers a Scriabin program that seems to struggle to encompass the accomplishment of this intense and unpredictable composer, and that struggle is all to the good. Scriabin is one of those composers whose works fall into early, middle, and late categories, and many artists play him just that way. However, Sudbin emphasizes the restless that leads to the later style in the early Chopin-esque material, and his control over the highly adventuresome Fantaisie in B minor, Op. 28, is impressive ("The writing is often dense, at times very contrapuntal, with its dark, brooding B minor beginning, struggling to erupt to the surface[and sometimes succeeding]," he writes.) The virtuosic elements in Scriabin's music are dispatched with confidence but do not overwhelm the more inward moments. The result is a solid chunk of Scriabin that holds together quite well, although it was recorded at three different times and two different locations. The album landed on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2025. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	05/09/2025
Label:	BIS
UPC:	7318599925387

Tracks

1. Vers la flamme, Op. 72
2. Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, Op. 30~I. Andante
3. Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, Op. 30~II. Prestissimo volando
4. 24 Preludes, Op. 11~No. 2 in A minor. Allegretto
5. 24 Preludes, Op. 11~No. 11 in B major. Allegro assai
6. Fantaisie in B minor, Op. 28
7. 12 Études, Op. 8~No. 4 in B major. Piacevole
8. 12 Études, Op. 8~No. 7 in B flat minor. Presto tenebroso, agitato
9. 12 Études, Op. 8~No. 11 in B flat minor. Andante cantabile
10. 12 Études, Op. 8~No. 3 in B minor. Tempestoso
11. 5 Preludes, Op. 16~No. 1. Andante
12. 5 Preludes, Op. 16~No. 2. Allegro
13. 5 Preludes, Op. 16~No. 3. Andante cantabile
14. 5 Preludes, Op. 16~No. 4. Lento
15. 5 Preludes, Op. 16~No. 5. Allegretto
16. Mazurka in E minor, Op. 25 No. 3
17. Poème in F sharp major, Op. 32 No. 1
18. Étude in C sharp minor, Op. 42 No. 5
19. Sonata No. 10, Op. 70
20. Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9~No. 1. Prelude. Andante
21. Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9~No. 2. Nocturne. Andante

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yevgeny Sudbin   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Alexander Scriabin   Composer
Wolfgang Wiese   Piano Technician
Lajos Toro   Piano Technician
Yevgeny Sudbin   Liner Notes
Peter Rigaud   Cover Photo
Robert Suff   Executive Producer
Jean-Pascal Vachon   Liner Note Translation
Marion Schwebel   Mixing,Editing,Engineer,Producer,Post Production
Andrew Barnett   Typesetting
Anna Lamberti   Liner Note Translation