Overview
Introduction
It has been conjectured that these pieces for left hand alone might have resulted from an injury to Scriabin's right shoulder, incurred in his teens. It is true that in some of his later compositions he reduced the role of the right hand. But then Scriabin was an oddball genius whose style grew increasingly radical. His focus on the left hand, both here and in later works, may have been simply an artistic quirk.
The first of this pair, the Prelude in C sharp minor, is tense and dark, featuring a sad Chopinesque theme. The music naturally has somewhat skeletal harmonies, but overall Scriabin's deft underpinnings are effective and atmospheric, at times giving the illusion that both hands are playing. The second work is a Nocturne, in D flat major. It is sweet and Lisztian, again offering an attractive melody, this one quite long-breathed. Its final appearance reaches an ecstatic climax, before gently and playfully concluding. Both these pieces enjoyed a minor vogue in the middle twentieth century, but are generally and unfairly neglected today.
Parts/Movements
- Prelude in C sharp minor
- Nocturne in D flat major
