Mikhail Pletnev Records Chopin-Scriabin Preludes 2025

The new recording by Mikhail Pletnev brings us his unforgettable touch on two of the most fundamentally important works in the piano repertoire: the preludes by Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) and Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915). Written some 50 years apart, in 1839 and in 1888–1896, the two composers’ preludes broke the mould established by J.S. Bach in his two sets of Preludes and Fugues, written in 1722 and 1742, that appeared in The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893. Where Bach’s goal was to expose the new well-tempered tuning system for keyboards, Chopin’s was to free the Prelude from the strict introductory role that Bach had given it and, instead, create little self-contained pieces that had their own ideas or even emotions.

Elias Gottlob Haussmann: J.S. Bach, 1746 (Bach-Archiv Leipzig)

Maria Wodzińska: Frédéric Chopin, 1836 (Warsaw: National Museum)

Alexander Scriabin

Chopin’s works were not designed to be pieces played ‘before’ anything else – they were complete in themselves. Bach’s organisation was based on rising semi-tones (C followed by C#, followed by D, etc.), whereas Chopin’s (and later Scriabin’s) followed the circle of fifths, with each major key followed by its relative minor (C major and A minor, followed by G major and E minor, etc.).

Frédéric Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28 – II. Prelude in A minor: Lento

The question of the idea that Chopin’s set should be intended for a single performance, as the circle of fifth structure might imply, has not been resolved. In any case, Chopin himself never played more than 4 in a recital, and it wasn’t until some 40 years later, in 1876, that the whole set was played in one concert. With the advent of recording technology and our desire for completeness, the entire set was the source of full recordings, starting in 1915 with Ferruccio Busoni’s recording for player piano on the Duo-Art label.

Scriabin’s set had been created as part of a wager he had with his publisher, M.P. Belaieff, that he could compose, like Bach, a full 48-piece cycle that included all major and minor keys. Op. 11 was his first set of 24, and the rest appeared as Opp. 13, 15, 16, and 17. It’s only the Op. 11 set that follows Chopin’s circle-of-fifths model.

Alexander Scriabin: 24 Preludes, Op. 11 – II. Prelude in A minor: Allegretto

There’s nothing in Scriabin that uses Chopin as a model except for the organisational idea. Scriabin takes Chopin’s set as it was, a set of independent piano pieces, and writes his own late-19th-century set. Where Chopin’s can be seen to be looking inward, Scriabin’s takes a larger view of the world – they’re happier and outward facing.

Mikhail Pletnev credit: thepianoshopbath.co.uk

Mikhail Pletnev’s last studio recording for Deutsche Grammophon was made in 2005, when he recorded a set of Mozart sonatas. This was followed by recordings of all the Beethoven symphonies and piano concertos with the Russian National Orchestra, issued both as studio and live recordings. In 2024, Pletnev made his way to the Emil Berliner Studios in Berlin and found a place where he could record his preludes. A live recording of the Chopin and Scriabin set had been proposed, but he was not happy with the idea. Given the free rein in the studio, which was rarely used, Pletnev could warm up as he wanted, play what he wished, and prepare himself before settling down to the recording sessions, all of which made for a relaxing set of sessions.

Pletnev’s performance sets a high-water mark in the performance of these pieces. Precise and concise while still being true to their milieu, they make us regard that 50-year difference between their births as a time when keyboard music grew and found its place. If Chopin’s were for his virtuoso-loving followers, then Scriabin’s were for his publisher, a very different audience.