I just came by a recording that always made me crap my pants. Prepare to crap your own pantaloons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e76oUfPE ... 1D&index=5

Wow! That was great! I didn't ahhhhhh....embarrass myself, but a stupendous recording!

Indeed...

I wish Sofronitsky had been better served by the technologies ; the sound quality is so poor on most of his recording, it doesn't do him justice. I've got Rachmaninov's Etudes-Tableaux by him, and though the playing is fantastic, the sound quality is horrible ; I can hardly tell the pitch sometimes, and the dynamics can seem either flat or weird.

Incredible sensitivity, a sound of ethereal beauty and this old world flair that so sadly vanished since

I love Sofronitsky's recordings of Scriabin. They're excellent despite the poor sonics, and this one is so well played in all respects. His live audience certainly appreciated it too.

Late last year I spent considerable time preparing this entire poeme, so I know up close how terribly difficult the piece is. The second half of it is a killer, especially the left hand. It's a very athletic piece that probably would have been slightly easier on me at an earlier age. It's also tough on pianos. Finally, I put it away for awhile, but will struggle with it again at some point in the future. I sure wish I could play it like Sofronitsky though, if even just once!

David

that's for sure...

His Vers le Flamme from 1946 (studio) is the greatest recording of the work, in my humble opinion.

-Mikhail Kaykov

another brilliant one, Fantasie Op. 28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvc2K_5JWho

I agree that the composer he was closest to was Scriabin, he even married her daughter! His other recordings are fantastic, too, always unique and with a striking tone. It's a shame his Rachmaninoff recordings (Well, all of them, really) are so rare.

i

He dedicated most of his time to Scriabin and Chopin. He was a true romantic. To be honest we should all thank both Vladamir's ( Horowitz & Sofronitsky) for playing Scriabin's works. Scriabin is not as popular as some for example...Chopin or Beethoven. He IS popular...but someone who is not as familiar as music would not be able to recognize Scriabin's music as they recognize Beethoven's 5th. Sorry English is not my first language... But we should thank them because if they did not play it...not so many other people would. It happens quite often that no one plays a certain piece until some famous pianist like for example Horowitz performs it.
Anyway back to Sofronitsky..,, Many people say that he had one of the greatest singing tones in the music of Chopin...One of his teachers, Aleksander Michalowski helped him obtain a singing tone in Chopin's works, being that he was described as a "having a profound influence upon the teaching of pianoforte technique, especially in relation to the works of Chopin"
But where did he get such a talent for performing Scriabin? I guess only nature can answer that. His Verse La Flamme is truly amazing!