Scriabin's ECSTATIC Sonata No. 5 - Analysis

[@SonataSecrets]

My solo album "Scriabiniana" is out now! linktr.ee/scriabiniana

[@manzoh2248]

One of the best sonatas ever in all of music! I was so excited when I saw the video pop up, thanks for all the hard work!

[@ferenc_l]

The variety in Scriabin's sonatas is incredible. The tragedy of the first 3 sonatas, the ecstasy of 4 and 5, the malevolence of 6 and 9, and whatever sonata no. 10 is - it feels as if at least a century must have passed between the first and last sonatas. And yet, Scriabin only lived for a short 4 decades. PS If you like Scriabin, I recommend checking out Szymanowski's music - his 2nd and 3rd piano sonatas are a good place to start.

[@arsmelancholiae]

Sonata 5 is a favorite of mine (that presto con allegrezza never gets boring), but 10 too is truly out of this world, quite palatable (unlike 6-9) and for some reason rarely talked about.

[@jimtownsend8010]

You have leveled up not just one level, but many. You have clearly been doing some real work

[@luke9947]

Your channel is really a goldmine.

[@mixolydian]

You have one of the best channels on the whole of KZbin!

[@ukdavepianoman]

Great analysis and playing of the most extraordinary sonata. It's remarkable how Scriabin creates such sound worlds and fuses his motifs/ideas together. Even more remarkable Scriabin wrote it in 6 days (some ideas did exist earlier). The harmonies are quite wonderful and as with many Scriabin works, soft ideas turn into ecstatic conclusions. P.S. Loved the wine glass at 27:37

[@BentuxTheCowBenedict]

I’ve been SUPER looking forward to this analysis since you mentioned wanting to do it in your Scriabin 4 video!! I’ve been smitten by this really odd sonata ever since my first listen. Every pianist seems to bring out a different side, different inner lines to this monstrous piece. For instance, Richter brings out the fireworks of ecstasy with ridiculous speed, while you sacrifice speed to highlight the references to the “force” motif and the languido motif and make a sublime storytelling experience. You bring to mind Lovecraft, as if the piano and the music are searching for cosmic truth beyond what human minds can handle, and find it for one overwhelming moment before exploding into massive flames. I donated for Scriabiniana and can’t wait for it to release! Good luck!

[@SonataSecrets]

Thank you so much for the kind words and your donation! :)

[@donotapply6202]

Thank you for this wonderful analysis, my favourite Scriabin sonata by far!!

[@ili626]

I enjoy being guided through this fascinatingly complex yet coherently narrative piece. much appreciated

[@ChristianBurrola]

I've been waiting for this!

[@kjcs_1896]

Scriabin is the best! I listen to him when I write, and he never fails to show me new worlds.

[@RinzePrins]

What an absolutly amazing video this is, wonderful explanation and, just as important, great love for the art on display. Amazing work.

[@JimHantis]

crazy, your scriabin is some of the best I've heard. Thank you so much

[@gustavertboellecomposer]

just wanted to shed some light on the harmony for those who are curious. Scriabins harmony is based on transpositions of what we today would call the lydian dominant scale (#4 degree and b7). In the very beginning it is in A: A B C# D# E (with F# and G natural missing here). Then in the following languido section we move to F#: F# G# A# (B# C#) D# E natural. He doesn't always use all of the notes of the scale, but it is usually implied. In his middle period he doesn't exclusively use this type of harmony like he does in his late sonatas, but whenever you hear that augmented/whole tone sonority, this is it (the augmented chord appears between the 2nd, 4th and 7th scale degree). The reason why it sounds "whole-tone"-ish is because the scales are very similar in structure. Fx C-lydian-dominant: C D E F# G A Bb, vs. C-whole-tone: C D E F# G# Bb. The only difference is that whole-tone swaps out the fifth and the sixth for an augmented 5th in-between. This similarity was also explored in Debussy's L'isle Joyeuse, where he leverages common tones to modulate between them. Edit: While I'm at it, might as well have a go on the Meno Vivo section at 11:59. Here you have a dominant chord (which is again a subset of the lydian-dominant scale). However, in the melody it moves between G (which is the natural 2nd) and F# (which is the b2 of F). The dominant scale with a b2 is something you see extensively in his later works, where it appears as a sort of variation of his lydian-dominant tonality. It is called the octatonic scale, and in this example it is in its entirety F Gb Ab A B C D Eb (only difference is the 2nd scale degree has been swapped for a b2 and an additional b3 or #2). In the 3rd measure you have the Cb in the base of the F-dominant chord. This follows directly from the F-lydian-dominant (since Cb is enharmonic to B natural). Although, interestingly you can also view it as a Cb-lydian-dominant (since Cb is the tritone substitution of F), and then you can correctly interpret the Db as the natural 2nd degree, and the D natural as a #2 (which is in the octatonic scale if you remember). So the whole section is actually based on pivots between the lydian-dominant and the octatonic scale, with a tritone substitution at the third measure. Wild stuff. Anyways peace out

[@IvoryStrings]

The piano sounds really nice, and the playing (who cares about the flubs !) is very enjoyable as well, probably because you just recorded this piece. Anyways, thanks for the video, interesting highlights.

[@mantictac]

I think if Scriabin was after formal perfection, this Sonata is the closest he ever got to it. He continued to find beautiful structural balance in his later Sonatas, but this one is so natural and has such an engaging narrative that it almost seems to have arisen by accident, as if the form was baked inherently into the themes themselves which places them in some obvious logical order. I don't like the word "perfect" in music, but this piece is in my mind the ideal Sonata.

[@fizzfox8886]

thanks a lot, love ur videos :)

[@peterkovacs9951]

oh my god at last

[@defentel5686]

Didn’t realise it’s a new video of yours Just amazing! It is truly depicted creation of the world and glorious apocalypse that sends the universe back into nothingness

[@hristotkun4067]

Impressive as always such a complex sonata

[@yoyichen4470]

Thank you very much for your analysis, which helps me to understanding of this great composer. At the same time, I learned a lot of music knowledge, which was very interesting. Your interpretation and playing are so beautiful.

[@Whatismusic1234]

Thanks for analysing this sonata!

[@PeterYiffin]

Nicely done!

[@SErik004]

Thanks so much for this analysis!! Super difficult piece to play so I can imagine the effort that went into this video, but so worthwhile.

[@margarethansen7480]

What a beautiful sonata And very well explained! I loved that❤

[@williamflame6160]

Hej Henrik, William från pianokongressen här. Så roligt att se dig där och att du lyssnade när jag spelade Liszt Liebestraum. Dina videor är så bra!

[@SonataSecrets]

Tack William, vad roligt att du gillar dem. Grattis till en jättefin instudering och konsert!

[@S1LynKz]

Do you think you can do another analysis for Chopin’s Ballade no. 4 like you did for the 1st one?

[@S1LynKz]

I’m about to start playing it

[@samgrant83]

Always a toss up between the 4th, 5th and 6th - there's something glorious about the 4th, but the 5th is just the most sublime experience that can take your breathe away at times - I can play a few bits, but I might have to sit down and try some more now.

[@philonouz]

Yes.

[@PuddintameXYZ]

Request! Please have a look at the 3rd mvt of Ives' Concord Sonata, The Alcotts! Beautiful piece

[@pparade7558]

Finally!!!

I love this sonata with all my heart. This video is precious and I treasure most of your insights. But I strongly disagree with the idea of relating it to jazz music. Scriabin is not jazz, it's not right to see what doesn't exist. The sounds may be similar, but there's a different depth in Scriabin's music. I want to see all the last five sonatas now! ❤

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

great! Congrats on new album! I'm not a great Scriabin fan. However, it may be of note that Beethoven and Schubert both also had opera '53' (and they are both incredibly virtuosic sonatas - the Waldstein and the Gastein). I'm sure Scriabin would have been aware... all 3 are sonatas and each ofthose sonatas may best be characterized by one word - ECSTATIC. By the way - feel free to check out my own 6 sonatas and 8 impromptus on my channel. Some of them (e.g. sonata number 6 and impromptu number 4) are also supposed to be 'ecstatic'.

[@peabrane8067]

FINALLY

[@blackforestt3717]

do you think this sonata is harder than the fantaisie?

[@Dudukpuk]

Thank you for your hard work❤️ Please sort out Rachmaninov's etudes-tableaux op.39 n 8 ( Allegro moderato in D minor n 8)

[@danflueras7598]

Hello , how do you practice presto con allegrezza , 6 over 4 rhythm ?

[@SonataSecrets]

Just break down the rhythm and practice slowly, they kind of align at the middle point of the bar.

[@Jqh73o]

Are you going to do from the 6th onwards?

[@james789c]

Wonderful piece. Too bad Scriabin died so young.

[@sean-kb4wr]

Do the 7

[@thisismoyukhsworld2022]

This Composition is similar in difficulty to Ravel's Scarbo.....

[@blackforestt3717]

Nah scarbo way harder

[@alexs1504]

Scriabin's 6th is way more similar to Scarbo

[@adroitwastaken]

You play so mechanically! I don't understand how someone can make this piece sound boring You play so different than you did here kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoCbhnqniZKJfqM

[@bassodivo1]

Sorry but it's absolutely academic and mechanical playing.

[@ScottHendrix-k8f]

A really baseless comment