A picture speaks a thousand words . . .

Just like an early Emperor of the Xia Dynasty in China about 4,000 years ago once said; the above statement is so true for this picture. After a mere glance at this photo of Rachmaninov, you can tell what he was like as a composer. His music is powerful, emotional, and physical. He also adds just a touch of class to it. It is very neat and well kept, but it still carries a raw attack (which is hidden at plain sight). So, what does all this mean?



To break it down even further, Rachmaninov's music to me is signified in one object: a rock. Like I already mentioned, it is powerful and physical and holds an abundance of emotion. Wait. . .rocks have emotion? Naw, but when a boulder sits in the sun all day, it absorbs a great amount of energy (from the sun) and that warmth will radiate out from that rock when the sun goes down. The same goes for his music. From the start of the piece, the work (and performer) gain emotion or energy and just when it reaches that point (maybe sundown) the energy is released (resulting in a enormous climax). To me this is all of his music. Taking a step away from piano repertoire and looking at his songs (he wrote like 80), check out Vocalise. There are no words and this helps to highlight the earth-shattering climax that erupts towards the end of the piece. To me, this is the best song ever written . . .ever. These are the characteristics that make his music SO attractive and top notch.

With that said, what about Scriabin? Hmm . . .for starters, he was quite weird. I really enjoy his music. It has a unique quality that runs through every piece giving it a certain emotional response from the audience. He is also one of the few composers who had drastic changes in his compositional style from his early opera (sonata No. 2) to the late ones (Vers la flamme). Check out Horowitz rocking out on this crazy work:

A slow rising flame, consuming everything. A darkness spreading . . .

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Toha - Out!