Alexander Scriabin - Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 43, “Le Divin Poème“

Alexander Scriabin (1871 - 1915) - Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 43, “Le Divin Poème“ (1902 - 1904) I. Lento - Luttes. Allegro [0:00] II. Voluptés. Lento [25:46] III. Jeu divin. Allegro [38:16] Philadelphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti (1988) Scriabin’s Symphony No. 3 is cast in three movements, with a short introduction, marked Lento, leading into the first movement. A typical performance lasts around 46 minutes. “Scriabin’s Symphony No. 3 is the first of the composer’s major orchestral works to bear explicit extramusical intent. The titles appended to each movement are as colorful as the music itself : “Luttes“ (Struggles), “Voluptes“ (Pleasures), and “Jeu divin“ (Divine Play). The work’s performance instructions go well beyond the traditional Allegro or Andante; here, markings such as “mysterieux,“ “tragique,“ and “sublime“ appear in Scriabin’s orchestral music for the fi