Alexander Skrjabin

In 1891, the year before his final exam at the music conservatory, Alexander Scriabin injured his right hand due to his ambitious practising. This seriously jeopardized his career as a pianist and the young musician plunged into a crisis. Yet Scriabin still managed to complete his piano studies in 1892, gaining a gold medal. His first published Piano Sonata op. 6 is, however, irrevocably linked to this time of crisis. The dark work reaches its climax at the end of the 3rd movement with hammering chords that are joined to the final movement, a sombre funeral march – great, confessional music. We are now publishing an Urtext edition of this key work, edited and presented by the Scriabin expert Valentina Rubcova.