Alexander Scriabin (1872 – 1915): Prometheus: The Poem of Fire

Early in his career, Scriabin’s music is described as lyrical in a romantic

tradition. He was strongly influenced by Frederic Chopin, making his musical

output resemble that of Chopin’s. During this period, he mainly wrote in the

same genres as Chopin, including piano etudes, preludes, sonatas, and a few

orchestral works including two symphonies and the Piano Concerto in F-sharp

minor. Although his music was typical of a Russian composer in the Romantic

era, his music transformed into something different and more complex as he

became more interested in theosophy.

Towards the end of his life, Scriabin was working on a grand composition,

Mysterium. Inspired by synesthesia (neurological phenomenon in which two or

more senses are intertwined and a stimulus for one sense causes a reaction in

another), Scriabin intended to exploit other senses as well as the sense of

hearing. He intended the performance to be a week-long event that marked the

end of the world, replacing the human race with nobler beings. With an

unrealistic ambition, Scriabin was unable to complete this work before his death

in 1915. However, the work featured today is the closest work to Mysterium.

First premiered in Moscow on March 2, 1911, it wasn’t until after his death in

March 21, 1915 that it was performed with coloured lighting. The score features

the Clavier a lumieres, a keyboard with light, which is rarely featured in

concerts. Although we are not featuring the coloured keyboard, we will have

the whole hall flooded with coloured lighting, as indicated by the score.

According to Scriabin’s Key-Colour Scheme, bright blue or violet represents

“Creativity” which you will see when the final F-sharp major chord is sounded.

This work is loosely based on an ancient Greek legend in which Prometheus

stole sparks from god and gave fire to man. It is a work about defiance and

victory for mankind. Throughout the score of the work, Scriabin writes in

indications as to how the chords and musical notes symbolize certain things.

For example, towards the end of the piece, he marks in victorieux in the piece

to indicate the climactic moment. This section is marked by the long sustained

trills in the woodwind section. Finally, the first major chord throughout the

whole work marks the end of the work. The sense of relief from this much more

recognizable sonority really gives the piece a triumphant character that Scriabin

had intended.