Op. 2 No. 1, written at fifteen. A slow, aching melody over thick, Romantic chords.
The story
Scriabin wrote this étude as a fifteen-year-old cadet in Moscow, deeply under the spell of Chopin.
Later he became one of the strangest composers of his time, dreaming of music joined with colour and light. This early piece is still pure late Romanticism: rich, dark and singing.
Two things to know
- Scriabin was also a concert pianist and toured Europe playing his own music.
- It is short, about three minutes, but the chords need a wide hand.
How to play it
Let the top line sing over the chords, and roll any chord too wide for your hand, quickly, from the bottom.