Alexander Scriabin occupies a special position among the Russian piano composers around the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. Already in his early works, he went beyond the Chopinesque traditions of his contemporaries Glazunov and Rachmaninoff. As he also did in his innumerable preludes, of which he brought together 24 in his op. 11, allowing for each major and minor key.

However, in spite of keeping to the strict order of the circle of fifths, he took care to ensure that “each prelude i...