This disc initially intrigues as it presents an opportunity to hear Scriabin played by a Russian orchestra–and with that the promise of an “authentic” sound. And it certainly delivers in the opening movement, with its ecstatic melody draped in big, somewhat hard-edged string tone. The second movement proceeds at a refreshingly athletic pace abetted by well-defined, muscular phrasing. At this point you might be tempted to think “Ah, now we’re getting the real stuff!” But with the arrival of the big tune comes a big shock: garish, unwarranted, and utterly tasteless cymbal crashes. These continue throughout the movement at all the dramatic and harmonic high points. The effect is like pouring ketchup on broiled salmon, and it makes Scriabin sound like Kalinnikov or some other third-tier Russian composer.
The offending cymbals return in the fifth movement (with the reprise of the big tune, of course), but the remaining movements are free of such vulgarity (the blaring brass is another story). The scherzo has nice lilt, while the finale starts off beautifully with fine singing from the mezzo-soprano and tenor soloists. But nothing can redeem the prosaic fugal close. Riccardo Muti comes close however, as he displays far more love and respect for the score on his EMI recording. He also has at his disposal the magnificent Philadelphia Orchestra which, while not necessarily “authentic”, makes sounds that are truer to the intent of the composer. Melodiya’s 1963 recording suffers from substantial dynamic limitation even in this remastering. You can safely skip this one.
