Born to an aristocratic Moscow family in 1872, Alexander Scriabin became an outstanding concert pianist. He wrote a number of orchestral works, but most of his compositions involved the piano, including more than eighty Preludes written throughout his short life. The works on this disc come mainly from Scriabin’s middle and late periods, combining lyricism with increasing harmonic experimentation and mystical allusions. Many last less than a minute and are uncomplicated in form and content, while others make considerable technical demands on the soloist.