Ever wonder how Scriabin’s Divine Poem (Symphony No. 3) might sound on two pianos? Not bad at all, judging from a rare transcription by one Lev Konyus, one of Scriabin’s teachers at the Moscow Conservatory. Konyus tellingly deploys the music between the instruments to the extent that we momentarily forget Scriabin’s opulent orchestration. Ilona Prunyi and Sándor Falvai sweep through the sprawling first movement and keep it firm and afloat. They also bring forthright grandeur to the finale’s climactic points without a trace of bombast. The central Voluptés movement could be more ruminative and tenderly inflected for my taste. Minus the orchestral trimmings, The Poem of Ecstasy seems static rather than sensual, an impression that arises from Konyus’ excessive use of tremolos to provide textural continuity. The miking is slightly distant and lacking in body, yet it somehow suits the repertoire.
