Obscure Music Monday: Scriabin's Rêverie

Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (Jan. 6, 1872 - April 27, 1915) was a composer and pianist, born in Moscow to a Russian noble family. He was exposed to the piano at a young age, as his mother was a concert pianist. He went on to serve as a military attaché, and later attended the Moscow Conservatory, studying both piano and composition.

Scriabin primarily wrote for piano, but did have a small output of orchestral works, including Rêverie, his first of that genre. This short, romantic work begins in a rather sad and foggy haze, with the clarinet carrying the melody. The strings take over, and manage the bulk of the main melodic work. Slowly the piece reaches a triumphant peak, where it stays for a very brief time before gradually descending back down to the sad haze like in the beginning. It's a Romantic work, through and through, and quite remarkable for his first orchestral composition.