Fanny Azzuro

SCRIABINE
24 Preludes op.11 (35’)

CHOPIN
24 Preludes op.28 (43’)

The album was conceived around the idea of mirroring two compositions that are so similar yet so different. The poetic title refers to a quote by Liszt, in which he describes Chopin's Preludes as "golden dreams", which I translate into English as Golden Dreams.

I plunge once again into the magical world of the Preludes, into the "golden dreams "* of Chopin and Scriabin. Chopin, the sensitive Polish Romantic poet; Scriabin, the modern Russian mystic who, following in Chopin's footsteps, composed his 24 Preludes, a youthful work with a bold new language, but with explicit references to Chopin's work. Two pianists, composers and poets in their own way, two different natures and two men so close to Rachmaninov's heart, a reminder of my last recording programme. Indeed, the conception of this album echoes the previous one, The Landscapes of the Soul, 24 Preludes by Rachmaninov, with here a mirror between the two works: Chopin facing Scriabin. My love of Russian music has never left me. Inspired by my mentor Boris Petrushansky, who recorded a version of Scriabin's rarely-played 24 Preludes, I remain fascinated by these mysterious, nostalgic worlds. At once tender reveries and surreal songs, in which we perceive an unconventional interplay of rhythms, between affection and mystery, the fluidity of water and dramatic evocations, these short pieces are a truly colourful journey. A palette to unfold, wide-ranging different colours, golden touches, preludes that follow the same writing logic as Chopin's: major key, relative minor key, then ascending in cycles of fifths... Chopin's Preludes, so well known, so eloquent, so lyrical, so gentle and exalted, with this finesse of composition and this simple, pure romanticism, are above all lace. Is it any different from Rachmaninov? Yes and no. Am I a great romantic? Perhaps I am!

"Chopin's Preludes are compositions of a very special order. They are not only, as the title might suggest, pieces intended to be played as introductions to other pieces, they are poetic preludes, analogous to those of a great contemporary poet [Lamartine, adds Eigeldinger], which lull the soul into golden dreams and lift it to ideal regions. Admirable in their diversity, the work and knowledge they contain can only be appreciated on close examination. Everything in them seems to have been created at the outset, in a rush, a sudden arrival. They have the free and grand allure that characterises works of genius." Liszt, on Chopin's Preludes

As for Scriabin's work, the word "golden" may refer to the golden ratio. Indeed, "behind the simple formal schemes of [his works] (...) lurks a whole secret subterranean world of numerical proportions, golden sections and Fibonacian series, rather analogous to the invisible geometry of Renaissance painters." (Scriabin and his quest for the Absolute!) dixit Manfred Kelkel in his book Alexandre Scriabine (Fayard)