Talk:The Poem of Ecstasy

Symphony?
Ummm... who says it's a symphony?? -- megA (talk) 22:27, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Well, it is vaguely symphonic, but not really. It is usually played in the place of a Symphony in short concerts (i.e. Overture, Concerto, interval, Poeme de l'Extase), but cannot realistically be called a Symphony.

What I'd like to know is why there's no mention of the story behind this work:

Scriabine fell madly in love with a young woman, but he was married. So he went on a holiday and wrote this piece about her, which was originally entitled "Le Poéme Orgasmiqe", or "The poem or orgasmic delight". However, the publisher thought (accurately) that this name wasn't socially acceptable and changed it to "Le Poeme de l'Extase"

I also feel it should be mentioned that while there are indeed 8 horns, horns 1-4 and horns 5-8 are taken as two separate sections as until the final theme that they play (augmented trumpet 1 theme), the parts bear are vastly different, more like two separate sections than one section divided into 8 parts. Any time I've played it (leading the 5-8 horns), we were treated as a totally separate section to 1-4. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.41.156.156 (talk) 13:50, 4 August 2008 (UTC)


 * It's mentioned as an example on the page about Symphonic Poems, which I think is correct. Scriabin wrote 3 pieces he called "Symphony" (the last one with the title "The Divine Poem"), as well as "The Poem of Extasy" and "Prometheus", which I think are classified as "symphonic poems". -- megA (talk) 20:43, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Ok, I'll be bold. -- megA (talk) 09:11, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Big Claims; No Evidence
the account of the 1908 premiere in nyc is unsourced. i looked through the nyc papers; this is what i found:

carnegie hall advert from december 10, 1908 in various nyc newspapers: RUSSIAN SYMPHONY SOCIETY SCRIABINE Symphony, "ECSTASY" (New.) Conductor, MODEST ALTSCHULER, and the american debut of mischa elman

the next day, reviews were mixed. i checked them out in the library and made some quick notes to try to capture the gist: 1) new york daily trib, december 11, page 6, downbeat report; concluding sentence--"It had its rapturous moments, but it left the hearers unconvinced." 2) new york herald, december 11, page 12, extase (and other pieces) were "played with spirit and warmly applauded." 3) the evening post, december 11, page 7 [blah blah uncomplimentary]... A more hideous racket was never contrived under the name of an orchestral piece. [blah similar] 4) new york times never even mentioned the poem of ecstasy in the reviews. (in fairness there had been a big toscanini/goetterdaemmerung concert at the metropolitan opera house that night which they covered extensively)

now i love the poem of ecstasy (svetlanov 1966 FTW) as much as anybody, but taken as a whole, the primary docs reviewing this premiere don't paint an especially rosy picture. can anybody supply any evidence to back the altogether complementary and even fantasical claims on the main page, viz "members of this 100 piece orchestra dressed in white tuxedos to help reflect this first light-show ever. There was also specially chosen incense that burned in the auditorium, that also contributed to the performance, in which, as quoted afterwards by an audience member, 'My body ceased to exist'."

if not, i think that content should be removed until the evidence materialises. i'll excise it in a few weeks

Response to the above unsigned entry: I agree. I think the statement: "accompaniment of the first colored electric lights, attached to a keyboard" refers to the premiere of Promethee, which calls for a color organ in the score. Perhaps somebody got the two pieces confused. Robert.Allen (talk) 10:16, 27 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Oh yes, that was my post above--i did sign it, but unfornuately my post got into a war with a crazed bot as you can see from the history page ;-)


 * Anyway, i excised the passage. Shame really, i hope somebody can reinstate it with a decent source. It's such a picturesque image. jonathan riley (talk) 02:48, 1 February 2009 (UTC)

Synaesthesia
Whilst it is well documented that Messiaen did indeed have synaesthesia, there is no evidence Scriabin did too. It is even considered doubtful; for the artificial coloration between Newton's Optics and his own musical colourings shed grave doubts indeed. Besides- somebody who likes to think of notes as corresponding to colours does not need a genetic condition to do so, and to make such an assumption is indeed rather dangerous. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:C7F:1257:3400:CC7:B5D3:3100:E8B8 (talk) 23:18, 10 July 2022 (UTC)