Scriabin: the symphonies.

[sdtom]

There is no doubt that they were rerecorded as I own both of Tchaikovsky's 2nd that he did and they are a bit different.

[adriano]

Thanks Alan and thanks sdtom for your help :-)

[Alan Howe]

You are welcome.

[adriano]

Svetlanov too takes up in his recordings of Scriabin's First those (originally unwritten) "percussion frills", already used by Golovanov. I am happy to discover a review, just mentioning this subject - which I am analyzing these days. I find it strange, that the editor (Valentina Rubtsova, a Scriabin specialist!) does not mention this fact at all (not even who was responsible for those "extras") in her detailed notes of the score (Scriabin, collected works, new edition, 2011). These frills were also not included in previous score editions, except a couple of tamtam bars in the 5th movement, which were included to the second edition of 1900.
The mentioned review:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/scriabin-orchestral-works

[sdtom]

Soon I'll have more recordings to compare and explore of Scriabin.

[adriano]

A new update about "percussion frills" in Scriabin's First (and, most probably, also Second) Symphony:
Kitakenko follows his predecessors Golovanov and Svetlanov by adding more timpani, glockenpiel and cymbals.
Ashkenazy could not resist either: but he adds only a few bar's timpani in the 2nd movement and some glockenspiel drops in the final movement.
Inbal's is the most consequent version: he ignores all these extras.
All three versions are very good interpretations in a more "traditional" way, and not as "more personal" ones like Glovanov's and Muti's. But they have the advantage of emphasizing those many, almost chamber-like transparently orchestrated sections - this supported by exellent/intelligent sonics in which one can clearly recognize what's going on in every instrumental section.
Considering that I have all three versions by Svetlanov, I do no expect surprizes after having heard his earlier one already. So far I considered only versions which are parts of complete sets and which are in my collection. Let's perhaps hear form other members what they heard in versions by Pletnev and others, who did not record all Symphonies. Golovchin's Naxos versions are also missing in my collection, suppose it's not a great loss...

[sdtom]

I need to first listen to the work as written and then compare.

[adriano]

A (final) note on the Pletnev-Tchaikovsky Pentatone box:
Symphonies 1-3, rec. April 2011
Symphonies 4-6, rec. June 2010
Manfred, rec. April 2013
All recordings made at DZZ Studio 5, Moscow; organ of Manfred recorded separately at the St. Ludwig's Kirche, Berlin.
(In Russia, there is still not one decent great organ to be found, I had to experience this myself).
And, as I suspected, these recordings are again supported by the Getty Foundation. Additionally to this, a support by the "Mikhaik Prokhorov Foundation" is mentioned.

[Alan Howe]

Money, money, money...

[sdtom]

I have the original recordings that he did on DGG and they are acceptable to me.

[adriano]

I have them too; I must say his interpretations have many interesting and original aspects - and I wonder if there will be differences in these later SACD recordings. This Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation" seems mainly to be a charity institution (no further comments...).

[sdtom]

He certainly does have his own thoughts.

[chill319]

@hadrianus -- thank you for your detailed reply on Scriabin's first symphony.

Since you conduct, and since I don't have access to a critical edition, I have a question about your thoughts regarding the curious additional percussion: Is it possible that the published parts for the symphony have (if Belaieff, potentially Scriabin sanctioned) more percussion than is seen in the published score? Or is it more likely that conductors seeing good percussionists sitting in the rear of the orchestra unemployed (like trombonists in Beethoven's 5th waiting for the finale) decided to give them something additional to do? Or something else?

[adriano]

@chill319
So far - and as I already wrote - I could not find those percussion extras in earlier printed scores. This has been applied only to Symphonies 1 and 2. No. 3 has all kind of Scriabin-original percussion parts in all printed scores. I think it must have been Golovanov who had these ideas, and somewhere in Russia extra parts could be still found - a thing which I am on the way to find out. But the Russians are among the most slowly answering - and most unreliable - people in the world, I will have to be very patient. In Janaury, anyway, they celbrate their Holidays...
Of course, later conductors revised these extra parts... With all my respect for Scriabin, I must say I approve these extras too, since they have been done in the style of Symphony No. 3.
I am only suprised that the critical edition ignores this fact totally - at least a mentioning in the critical notes would have been fair (I have written to the editor...)
Incidentally, I found also some cuts in Golovanov's recording of 3rd Symphony...

[Alan Howe]

Incidentally, I found also some cuts in Golovanov's recording of 3rd Symphony...

Oh dear. That's disappointing.