For this Scriabin recital Pascal Amoyel gathers together all the composer’s works with the word “Poème” in the title, throwing in an album leaf and a few waltzes for good measure. Since the form of a musical poem is open-ended, it comes as no surprise that these pieces encompass a variety of moods, from the fragile lyricism of the F-sharp major Op. 32 No. 1 to the more volatile, larger-scaled Poème-Nocturne Op. 61 and Poème satanique Op. 36. For tone color, variety of touch and nuance, and sensitive phrase shaping, Amoyel’s first-rate pianism and intelligent musicality cannot be faulted. Like Marc-André Hamelin in the Sonatas, Amoyel puts clarity, proportion, and controlled freedom above all else and keeps the music’s volatile undercurrents alive and active without letting the pot boil over, so to speak.
Vers la flamme’s cresting paragraphs, for example, remain as “near the flame” as the title suggests, in contrast to the veritable Immolation Scene we get from Vladimir Horowitz’s fire-eating intensity and more subjective response to Scriabin’s markings. Or compare Amoyel’s conscientiously detailed Op. 32 No. 2 Poème to Alexander Melnikov’s wider dynamic range and animalistic sweep and you’ll appreciate the conviction of Amoyel’s cooler classicism. It helps that Amoyel has a superbly regulated Steinway at his disposal and a lovely venue in which to record it (L’Abbaye de Pontlevoy). This disc won’t provide you with Scriabinesque “shock and awe”, yet Amoyel’s performances’ virtues are likely to wear well over repeated hearings.
