Scriabin: A Poem Of Ecstasy and Symphony No. 2
Naxos, 2023
9/10
Listen to Scriabin: A Poem Of Ecstasy and Symphony No. 2
The multiple Grammy winner JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra flesh out this distinct meshing of Scriabin’s Russian romanticism, which was their first recording project after the pandemic lock downs.
“A Poem Of Ecstasy” opens the listen with soothing strings and dreamy winds making for an elegant and animated 19+ minutes of sometimes bouncy, sometimes therapeutic instrumentation that’s full of tonal shifting and rich, absorbing harmonics.
The back half of the listen belongs to the 40 minutes of “Symphony No.2 in c minor, Op. 29”, where French Impressionism is much appreciated and the music is textured with a soft beauty, bursts of busy, firm string interaction and a radiant warmth.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra play superbly here, and under Falletta’s sublime guidance, there is just so much to be enamored with.
Travels well with: Florent Schmitt- La Tragédie de Salomé; Orion Weiss- Arc II: Ravel, Brahms, Shostakovich