Record

Zeke

Scriabin: The Divine Poem

(Symphony No.3 in C minor, Op.43)

U.S.S.R. Symphony Orchestra under Yevgeny Svetlanov Melodiya/HMV

"The Divine Poem" is an exposition of Scriabin's strange mystical theory uniting religion, philosophy, and all the arts, and is in effect philosophical programme music. In three movements, "Struggles," "Delights," and "Divine Play", it describes the passage of the human spirit from conflicts between the ego and the deity concept, through Pantheistic weakness and sensuality to liberation from submission to a higher being.

The style is a curious blend of late Romanticism and early modern experimentation, rhythmically complex, and thematically rich, with a distinctly Russian character. Some harmonic innovations such as a chord built on fourths rather than thirds are present, and the music is generally logically designed. The performance is colourful but the recording is not sufficiently expansive.

The long first movement manifests the struggle between the man subservient to God and the free man who is Cod in himself, and features tranquil woodwind and strings contrasted with strident, militant brass outbursts. The success of the free man is short-lived, as he falls into melancholy Pantheism. The second and third movements are continuous — revived by sensual pleasure, the ego recovers and abandons itself to the supreme joy of a free existence. There are moments of serenity in the music, but it does not shine with the expected ecstasy, rather exhibiting a peculiar idle decadence.

Nevertheless, there is a profound unity to it all, derived in part from a recurring leaping theme in the brass. The music appeals more with familiarity — try listening to it in autumn twilight when the mind is pondering....