This text serves to underline the ambiguity and violence of the work, which opens with a low, pressing dissonance which builds into a angry, rising figure without cadence nor closure; curiously, the piece closes with this same cryptic figuration. After the whirlwind of sound, a long period of soft, tender lyricism sets the listener at ease; soon after, this ease is demolished when another hard, unrestful sequence comes, where the piano acts as a percussive instrument and not a singing one. Another slow segment comes, before a long, moving, restless, furious climax that builds into the mysterious ambiguous chords that we heard in the opening, which climb into nowhere and then... stop. The piece is over.

It has been argued that the sonatas after the Fourth are nothing but evidence of Scriabin's eventual decent into madness; there can be no doubt that his later works are stained by a violent rejection of tonality, and that he said began saying bizarre things, such as "insects... they are the kisses of the sun!" in regard to his later works. In fact, he refused to play certain works of his because of his own internal regard for them. He considered some of his works diabolical, and thought that playing them would kill him. So what conclusion can be made of Horowitz's rendition of this controversial work, coming on the lip of this time of madness?

Horowitz (left), at this early juncture of his career (the sonata was recorded 'live' in 1953), brings a startling clarity to this monstrously discordant example of the glory of atonality. The sections are all roped off nicely, there is no blending of the violent intent and the peaceful, which is how I think it should be. A look at the score shows that there are no overlaps between them, and while Vladimir Askenazy and Glenn Gould, in their respective recordings, have a tendency to do this also, to make the violent segue suddenly and listlessly into a tender section.

Horowitz uses aural pauses to accomplish the separation, a technique which I think works marvelously. Askenazy, in his Decca recordings, marvels in the sonority of the piece, and the structure takes a definite second seat; Horowitz, demonstrating his famous key-pounding and astounding roars of his bass, also accents the sonority of the music, but subjugates it to the larger goal of communicating the message. Whatever message that is, I will leave up to the listener to decipher. Gould, in a curious move, plays the entire piece (the sonata is written in just one titanic movement) as if it were Bach, at a rigorously unified tempo, which few dynamic changes. Listening to his rendition, and then Horowitz's, could be one of the most educational experiences a newcomer to the classical piano literature could have, for the differences are really in the approach: the Romantic versus the Modern.

In fact, this is the underlying struggle in all of Scriabin's music, and is particularly evident in the Preludes which Horowitz chooses. I will simply provide a sonic description of Horowitz's treatment of them, in the order they appear on the CD.

Horowitz treats all of the preludes as a separate entity, which is perhaps the only possible approach because of their vastly different natures. I have heard many different renditions of these preludes, on many different arrangements of instruments, and I feel that Horowitz best delves into the very fabric of the preludes, and tries (entirely successfully) to divine their essence and communicate it with his great gift.

Next on the disc is a rendition of the Third Sonata, which is probably the most publicly played in recital. Bright and dramatic, this sonata is in the key of F-sharp minor, although it strays quite often from that, is a good example of Scriabin at the height of his tonal powers.

The first movement, marked Dramatico is powerful and climactic, and has been criticized as overly so. It vacillates between major and minor and has many dynamic changes, almost constantly, for about 6 and a half minutes.

The following Allegretto is only 3 minutes long, but explores a wide range of emotions and ideas. The play between the left hand and the right hand is very well coordinated and expresses an interesting series of call-and-response figures. The basic theme of the movement is very pretty and satisfying.

The third movement, Andante, is placid, tranquil, and tender. Figuration and theme here are simple and relaxed. A lovely vocal line with left-hand compliments is accented by small moments of intense emotive quality. The dynamic levels here swell and decline slowly, which adds to the feeling of swaying repose. A truly Elysian piece of music, it's Scriabin at his most attractive.

The final movement, marked Presto con fuoco; Meno mosso is possibly the most well known section of this work, with a hard, blunt, descending, directly attacking figure opening into a series of voices recalling the earlier prelude Op. 11, No. 14 with their incensed chorus. Alternating with the ire is a major segment which is only slightly less dramatic, and soon leads back into the main theme. This movement is full of spiky rising figures (see around 2:20) and expert usage of the piano's tonality. A full, fleshed-out movement, all the ideas are developed nicely. The conclusion, with its rising figure, and huge bombastic chords, recalls clearly Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude (No. 12, Op. 10) and is an ideal way of ending such a violent, dramatic sonata.

Finally, the three etudes which Horowitz chooses are taken from his 'live' performances in 1982. At this period, critics were skeptical of his artistic integrity, and frequently attacked him as undaring, mannered, and sloppy. These recordings speak otherwise of the maestro:

The B-flat minor Etude, Op. 8, No. 7, is very well-known, having been a staple of the encore repertoire for many years now. Horowitz gives a full, clear rendition, and does the sad melody justice by accenting it above the broad chordal undertones. This live performance, like almost all of Horowitz's, has a certain electricity to it which keep the listener intrigued and on the seat of their pants. This etude benefits from that aura. The ending is rich in his hands, and the chords fall neatly into a lucid sense of closure.

The more obscure C-sharp minor Etude, op. 42, No. 5, is a study in motion among other things. Horowitz here plays it with a constantly moving current, like a river on a steep hill, leading somewhere that we're not sure of. Like the previous etude, the melody is sad, but this time infused with more outrage and force, and the left hand is loud and penetrating. The ending is quite poignant.

This leaves the final track on the CD, which is undoubtedly the most famous piece for the piano Scriabin (left) ever wrote: the legendary etude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson once said that "to play this piece is to feel like a god." This was one of Horowitz's signature pieces, and he recorded it at least seven times, 'live' and in the studio.

This version is one of the finest, easily, with its broad sense of rage and frenzy, and the tender sparkle and nostalgia he invests in the lighter segments. This etude, rightfully one of the greatest in the piano literature, most likely stems from a study in Chopin's final etudes from his Op. 10 and Op. 25. Maybe the best thing about this recording is Horowitz's piano sound. Warm and infusing, even in the loudest moments, the sound is only marred by the audience, who clap so soon after the final rousing chord that the full discordance cannot be felt; however, this is nit-picky, and does not really detract from the experience.

In conclusion, this disc from the lengthy catalogue of Vladimir Horowitz is an excelsior example of his pianism, and a display of what he was best at: small pieces of highly dramatic content from Russian composers. From the two sonatas, to the preludes, to the live etudes, this CD is an excellent buy for its highly charged interpretation of all the selections, and for its exemplar pianism, unrivaled in the performance of Scriabin. This music obviously meant much to Horowitz, and one can only imagine the connections he felt with it as he adorned that celebrated bowtie each and every night.

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