The Poem of Ecstasy [Two Pianos Transcription] - Alexander Scriabin

Performed by Ilona Prunyi and Sandor Falvai. Arrangement by Lev Konyus

I - Andante. Languido - Lento. Soavamente - Allegro volando - Lento - Molto languido - Allegro non troppo - Moderato avec delice - Trés parfumé - Presque en délire - Allegro dramatico - Tragico - Tempestoso - Lento - Allegro volando - Lento - Allegro - Molto più lento - Allegro - Charmé - Scherzando - Allegro molto. Leggierissimo. Volando - Maestoso: 0:00

The Poem of Ecstasy was written between 1905 and 1908. Completed in 1907, it was revised the following year in Lausanne. It premiered on December 10, 1908 in New York, performed by the orchestra of the Russian Symphony Society of New York conducted by Modest Altschuler. In Russia it was presented at the beginning of the following year in Saint Petersburg, interpreted by the Orchestra of the Court directed by Hugo Warlich.

Officially it never had the title of Symphony, even though Scriabin referred to her as his fourth. Its form is closer to the symphonic poem, built in a single movement. Although there are signs of sonata form. Modest Altschuler indicates that Scriabin had written a program to describe the work, dividing it into three sections:

I. The soul in the love orgy
II. The realization of a fantastic dream
III. The glory of his own art.

Scriabin had written a long poem to accompany this work, but without being interpreted together. This poem ends with the following sentences:

"I am a moment that illuminates eternity ...
I am affirmation ...
I am ecstasy ... "

We can consider this work as a continuation of the previous one (his third Symphony). The free man who has emerged triumphant from his doubts, magnifies himself in love during the exhibition, then reaffirms himself energetically in the fight against evil, from which he wins during development, to reach a state of ecstasy in the coda .

The composer himself had noted the following phrases during the composition of this work: Life is an act of love..., take as you give yourself, love men as your life, love them free, be divine and proud.

The representation of ecstasy as the culmination of the sexual act is presented musically in an abstract way. Making a comparison with the painting, it does not offer us a work of realistic type, reproducing obscene scenes, but an idealization of them, in the form of sketches and stains of color.

If we do a musical analysis of the work we realize the evolution of his art. A new style with characteristics different from the French impressionism and the Schönberg serialism, main novelties of the time. The symphony is transformed into a symphonic poem. We do not find the characteristic duality of themes. In its place plurithematism appears, eight themes in total. The audition of the work becomes more difficult and its development progressively leads us to the final ecstasy.

Picture: "The Angel of Splendour" (1894) by the Belgian painter Jean Delville.

Source: http://www.historiadelasinfonia.es/mo...