The Preludes Vol 1

- This is Volume 1 of a series of two CD's with the complete Preludes for piano by Alexander Scriabin. On this CD the earlier Preludes of this geat and unique composer, works that have been directly influenced by Chopin and Liszt, but which are nonetheless completely written in a language of their own. The justly famous 24 Preludes Op. 11 for instance are closely related to the 24 Preludes by Chopin in terms of statement, length and key structure but in the writing there is no imitation of Chopin.

- Paul Komen is not only a brilliant pianist, but also one of the most sensitive of performers. His first recording for GLOBE with selected piano works by Federico Mompou (GLO 6004) received excellent reviews from all over the world with unanimous praise for his "great sensitivity" (The Gramophone), the set was hailed as "as fine on introduction to Mompou's piano music as you'll find in print" (Ame•·ican Record Guide), and as "strongly recommended" (Fanfare).

- As far as we know, there is no complete recording of these Scriabin masterpieces in the current CD catalogues, so this CD should be more than welcome. Volume 2 by the way will be released in the Spring of 1993.

- There are no less than 42 Preludes in total on this CD which may be regarded not only as a unique item, but also as a major contribution to the Scriabin discography.

 

Paul Komen made his debut at the age of 13 with a radio recording of works by Bach and Scriabin. He then studied at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam with Jan Wijn. During his studies he took part in several master classes, which resulted in 1978 in his first gramophone recording. In 1981 he made his English debut at the Wigmore Hall in London. In 1982 Paul Komen finished his studies at the Sweelinck Conservatory 'cum laude' and received a grant from the German Academic Exchange Services to continue his studies with Professor Hans Leygraf In Hanover. In 1984 he made his debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw as soloist with the Radio Philharmonlc Orchestra conducted by Sergiu Comissiona.

In 1985 he finished his studies in Hanover with the Solisten-Diplom, again cum laude. He then continued to study with Juan Carlos Zubeldia in Bilbao and with Nelly Ben-Or In London. In 1986 he received a grant from the Dutch government to study with György Sandor in New York and with György Szebök in Bloomington, Indiana. In 1989 Paul Komen made his American debut at Carnegie Hall in New York and at the National Gallery in Washington.