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Artist: Julius Asal
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Julius Asal:

Scriabin - Scarlatti

The album begins and ends with a fragment from the finale of Scriabin’s First Piano Sonata Asal’s full performance of the Sonata is framed by a selection of Scriabin’s etudes and preludes,  six sonatas by Scarlatti and two improvisatory Transitions by the pianist himself Julius Asal chose two different Steinways for the recording,  one for its sumptuous dark sonorities, the other for its clear, crisp sound

“These miniatures by Scriabin and Scarlatti are like mythical creatures from another dimension, with their own character, their own life, their own past, present and future.” - Julius Asal

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) prove to be engaging and complementary characters in the hands of German pianist Julius Asal, whose debut Deutsche Grammophon album is set for release in all formats on 3 May 2024. Scriabin – Scarlatti is built from works by two composers rarely mentioned in the same breath, the one a Russian absorbed by mysticism and its expression in the arts, the other a Neapolitan noted for the panache of his 555 keyboard sonatas. The album creates a dreamlike meditation in which the boundaries between pieces, eras and states of mind fade away. “Everything’s possible in a dream”, says the 27-year-old artist, who has a rare talent for innovative programme curation. “Even seemingly different materials from different times and with different densities can merge and create a new substance that’s never existed before. That’s how I felt while I was recording the music of Scriabin and Scarlatti.”