Etude in c minor op. 2/1

One of Scriabin’s best-known piano pieces is also one of his very first compositions. He wrote it when he was only fifteen years old; when it appeared in print in 1893, the twenty-one-year-old was still so unknown that he did not receive any remuneration from the publisher. The rapturous etude was soon to enjoy unprecedented success. Marked “Andante”, it is not a virtuoso piece – but nevertheless it is a challenge to master the full-handed chords in legato and to clearly work out the upper and middle parts at the same time.

In the Henle Urtext edition, Boris Giltburg’s fingerings support this task in an exemplary manner. As an etude of medium difficulty, this earworm offers a wonderful introduction to the piano world of Scriabin!