Scriabin: Mazurkas

This album marks Peter Jablonski's debut for the Ondine label. Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) created an impressive catalogue of works for the piano and became one of the great innovators in 20th century music. In his early works, the listener can sense the composer's great admiration for the art of Frédéric Chopin. This is especially manifested in the over 20 Mazurkas that Scriabin wrote for the solo piano, the very same form of music that Chopin followed throughout his active years as a composer. Jablonski's album includes all Scriabin's Mazurkas with an opus number as well as two early Mazurkas.

Scriabin's Mazurkas reveal various stages in the composer's creative career. Ten Mazurkas Op. 3 are early pieces. Although the composer, like many of his colleagues, was deeply influenced by Chopin, yet Scriabin's distinctive voice is unmistakable here. In the Nine Mazurkas Op. 25 the composer is starting to push harmonic and melodic invention to their extremes, delaying harmonic resolution, blurring the lines between the distinct lilt of the mazurka and often entering the realm of a dream waltz, or a tone poem. Two Mazurkas Op. 40 were written around the time of his 4th Piano Sonata and are more intimate and economic in style already pointing to completely new harmonic and philosophical directions that were to dominate Scriabin's mind from then on. In his last ever public performance in St Petersburg on 2 April, 1915 Scriabin included his Mazurka Op. 25/4 into the programme.