In two Jordan Hall concerts, January 28 and February 1,  2016, NEC piano students celebrated Prokofiev's 125th anniversary with performances of all nine sonatas along with other solo piano works.

New England Conservatory pianist Yang Bao performs Scriabin: Sonata for Piano no 7 in F sharp major, Op. 64 "White Mass". Recorded live in Jordan Hall, January 29, 2015.

2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of composer Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915). Scriabin's music is heard today primarily at the keyboard - his ten piano sonatas and hundreds of preludes, etudes, and "poems," many of them bearing titles, are numerically the bulk of his output.

Because of the size of this body of work, it closely tracks the evolution of a musical language. Scriabin's earliest works display Chopin's influence in their romantic melodies. Late works anticipate the twelve-tone revolution soon to come - but with a basis in mysticism rather than mathematics.

In the concert this recording came from, NEC piano students performed all ten of the sonatas. The listener was taken on a speedy trip through the evolving sound of piano music in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the personal journey of a romantic visionary.

Scriabin: Complete Piano Sonatas

Sonata for Piano no 7 in F sharp major, Op. 64 "White Mass"

New England Conservatory educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, drawing on the talent and deep reservoir of experience of our distinguished faculty. We are dedicated to inculcating the highest standards of excellence and nurturing individual artistic sensibility and creative growth. Understanding that music is one of the transcendent expressions of human civilization, NEC aspires to ensure it a central place in contemporary society. Additionally, we present over 1,000 free concerts a year in our world class performance spaces which include historic Jordan Hall.

Sonata for Piano no 7 in F sharp major, Op. 64 "White Mass"

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