Scriabin ~ Sonata No. 9 ~ Premier recording

If anyone wants a change from all those interminable jazz and dance rolls to be heard on Youtube, well here it is........... This must be the first recording of the so called ’Black Mass’ Sonata, made just a few years after its composition. The pianist Anton Rohden also ’played’ Sonatas 4 and 5 for Hupfeld so must have been a ’Scriabinian’ and may have even known the composer. However, I couldn’t find out much about Rohden at all and would welcome any information. Interesting to note that most modern recordings of this work are taken at a faster tempo -- except Horowitz whose timing is about the same. I imagine this Sonata as a pagan ritual rather like Stravinsky’s ’Le Sacre’ which starts very slowly, gradually gathering momentum until its wild conclusion. Within the final chords can be heard the sound of Russian church bells which in this rather sinister context, can only have sacriligeous overtones.