Gould/Scriabin Sonata No.5, Op. 53

"Today I have almost finished my 5th Sonata. It is a big poem for piano and I deem it the best composition I have ever written. I do not know by what miracle I accomplished it." (In a letter written by Scriabin to Margarita Kirillovna Morozova, a prominent Russian philanthropist, patron of arts... In 1904-1908 Morozova supported Scriabin financially.) Tatiana Schloezer, Scriabin's second wife, was thrilled by his 5th Sonata. She wrote to a friend:
"I cannot believe my ears. It is incredible! That sonata pours from him like a fountain. Everything you have heard up to now is as nothing. You cannot even tell it is a sonata. Nothing compares to it."

The work is considered to be one of Scriabin's most difficult compositions, both technically and musically. Many great pianists have recorded it, including Horowitz and Richter, who described it as the most difficult piece in the entire piano repertory, along with Franz Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1. According to Gould's biographer Kevin Bazzana, "In Horowitz's recording nervous energy is perceptible throughout, whether the music is explosive or ethereal. By contrast in Richter's recording there are much more extreme contrasts between various themes. Gould differs from both interpretations in that he favors a controlled and continuous approach to the sonata."

Gould had contemplated recording all ten of Scriabin's piano sonatas. Like many of his musical projects it never came to fruition: he only recorded numbers 3 and 5.

Sonata No.5, Op.53 (1907)

Allegro -- Impetuoso -- Con stravaganza, etc. 13'40"

Recorded in Toronto from a CBC radio recital, November 29/1969