Scriabin: Symphony No. 4, Op. 54 "Poème de l'Extase" & Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 29

Album review

There is no shortage of recordings of Scriabin's The Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54, but there are several considerations that recommend this one by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor JoAnn Falletta beyond simply the budget Naxos-label price (and dollar for dollar, it is likely the best Poem of Ecstasy out there). One is the presence of the considerably less well-known Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 29, and here, Falletta delivers a corker of a performance where her long tenure in Buffalo really shows. This early work was influenced by César Franck, and Falletta cleanly brings out the inevitable derivation of the triumphal finale from the preceding material. She does not get bogged down in the earlier Wagnerisms and the occasional Tchaikovskian melody, and there is an "ecstasy" in the work that seems to point forward to the mature Scriabin. The Poem of Ecstasy is likewise quite strong. Falletta does not deliver the resonant perorations of a Gergiev, but her performance has the same virtues as those of the Symphony No. 2. It is on the fast side, and it moves cleanly through a great variety of orchestral colors. Those are brought out especially well by the Naxos engineering team in Buffalo's Kleinhans Hall, a sonically underrated venue. An excellent Scriabin release all the way and one that shows Falletta building a true tradition in Buffalo.

© James Manheim /TiVo