The first published Sonata by Scriabin is both a cry and sigh against fate, the tragic loss of full function in his right hand. This injury was caused by intense overpractice of highly demanding works, such as Liszt’s Reminiscence de Norma S.394 and Balakirev’s Islamey Op. 18. Around the same period he wrote his Prelude and Nocturne for the left hand Op.9. This transformation of personal tragedy into shattering art is a very Russian gesture for composers. This moment in Scriabin’s life explains the overly developed left hand in most of his pieces. He had to compensate to fully form his intense textures and counterpoint.

The sonata is divided into four movements:

Mv.1 : Allegro con fuoco

Mv.2 : Adagio

Mv.3 : Presto

Mv.4 : Funebre

The first movement is ambiguous, with extremely dramatic rising octavas on the piano (reminiscent of Schumann’s sonatas) intertwined with a second theme of pure joy and developed until reaching a state of total ecstasy. The ending of this movement is a constantly in and out of major-minor tonality, finally concluding in F major, a deceptive “happy ending” soon undone by the dramatic “funebre” finale.

The second movement is a calm and melancholic Russian melody, while the third is characteristic of Scriabin’s very passionate and fiery spirit, full of octavas and repeated chords.

The finale is tragic funeral march, echoing to the one that concludes Chopin’s Sonata No.2 and Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” Symphonie. The march is midway interrupted by a choral of chord, quasi niente in the lowest dynamic of quadruple piano. The slow chords almost mimics the breath of a dying man.