Scriabin's Piano Concerto and The Poem of Ecstasy are very passionate works of music, and the performances here of the two are certainly that. The concerto is the work of a young Scriabin and is in the high Romantic vein. Pianist Claudio Crismani and conductor Thomas Sanderling make the outer movements particularly ardent and broadly shaped, the way Rachmaninov's concertos are usually overdone. At times in the final movement, the concentration of emotion feels like it needs one of those "Contents Under Pressure" warning labels. The middle movement, with its memorable theme, is very much more controlled and restrained in emotion, making it more effective. The emotion is not potent enough to overwhelm the beautiful music, as it does in the other movements. The Poem of Ecstasy, a more mystical piece, is also intensely and intentionally passionate, but here, Sanderling is in complete control. He does not exaggerate or allow the music to randomly sweep from high to low. He carefully shapes the various sections and moods to make the whole tone poem's structure understandable and logical, even while being fervent. All that said, however, the disc has less than ideal sound quality. In the concerto, the piano tends to get lost in the orchestra, and is especially overwhelmed by the woodwinds, which is frequently. Scriabin's concerto is more of a collaborative effort between the piano and orchestra than most concertos, and the piano needs to come out more just so that the work is recognized as a concerto. Overall the sound is shallow and tends to dull the brilliancy of Scriabin's colorful, even sparkling orchestration. Despite the intensity of the performances, they are not viscerally gripping because of the sound. It is like the difference between looking at a photo with a matte finish and one with a glossy finish. Scriabin's orchestra needs that extra sheen to completely bring out the ecstasy of these works. ~ Patsy Morita, All Music Guide
