Julius Asal
SCRIABIN – SCARLATTI (CD)
Phenomenal young German pianist Julius Asal releases his debut Deutsche Grammophon album SCRIABIN – SCARLATTI - 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. Nevertheless, Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) prove to be engaging and complementary characters in the hands of Asal.
Growing up in the Taunus mountains near Frankfurt his first encounters with the piano happened before he began to speak, and even as a toddler he improvised fluently and taught himself to play by ear. Only years later did he receive formal lessons, studying at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin and the Kronberg Academy. Today, a laureate of numerous competitions, Asal is a regular guest at international festivals and prestigious concert halls, performing at venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Musikverein and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
In 2023, Asal signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. His gift for improvisation, based on the fact that the language of the piano was the first he learned to speak, remains with him to this day, sometimes surfacing in his live performances. His album now 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. This, his debut Deutsche Grammophon album 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. Nevertheless, Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) prove to be engaging and complementary characters in the hands of Asal.
1. Scriabin: PROLOGUE (Quasi Niente from Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: IV. Funebre)
2. D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in F Minor, K. 466
3. Scriabin: Prélude in C Minor, Op. 11, No. 20
4. D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in C Minor, K. 56
5. D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in C Minor, K. 58
6. Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: I. Allegro con fuoco
7. Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: II. Adagio
8. Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: III. Presto
9. Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: IV. Funebre
10. D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in F Minor, K. 238
11. Asal: TRANSITION I
12. Scriabin: Etude in B-Flat Minor, Op. 8, No. 11
13. Scriabin: Prélude in B-Flat Major, Op. 11, No. 21
14. D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 544
15. Scriabin: Prélude in E-Flat Minor, Op. 16, No. 4
16. Asal: TRANSITION II
17. Scriabin: Prélude in E-Flat Minor, Op. 11, No. 14
18. Scriabin: Prélude in B Major, Op. 16, No. 1
19. Scriabin: Prélude in B Minor, Op. 11, No. 6
20. D. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in B Minor, K. 87
21. Scriabin: EPILOGUE (Quasi Niente from Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: IV. Funebre)
