Sergei Taneyev ‒ Prelude and Fugue, Op.29 

As a matter of fact, Scriabin was one of Taneyev's students.

I remember reading that he didn’t know the Taneyev when he wrote his own prelude and fugue. But discovered the eerie similarities later (same key etc)

Hamelin writes in the liner notes to his etudes: "I experienced a rather uneasy moment when, some time after completing the piece, I came across Sergei Taneyev's Prelude and Fugue in G sharp minor, Op 29. I was alarmed to see that there were some startling similarities between the two fugues: same metre, same key (enhamonically), same pianistic terrains, and a very similar fugue subject. Please be assured that if this were other than mere coincidence, I would be honest enough to admit it!"

very similar ... guess taneyev visited the hamelins concert when he performed his masterpiece...

@@rainermartinwolke9023 Hm? Taneyev died before Hamelin was even born (by around 46 years).

@@Godzilla-xt4nd that was a joke obviously 😁

The most accurate comparison. I shall add: the rhythm is so complex and broken into unpredictable beats, and the dynamics are so aggressive, rhythmically and dynamically, this is Stanchinsky.

" 'Architecture,' said Hegel, 'Is frozen music, and this might rightly be called defrosted architecture' " ---- Michael Flanders (1924-1972), on music by his friend and collaborator, Donald Swann. That quote might appropriately be applied to this Prelude and Fugue as well, but as an expression of awe rather than comic deflation.

There was a time when this might not have been such the case.

Let's see, Russian "andante" is fast, in fact here it should be twice as fast as this interpretation of the prelude. The prelude sounds great played in intended tempo (composer's own metronome marking).

Gérard Begni It was rather fashionable to play in USSR higher institutions in 80s.

@@vahagnvardanyan I know rhat. I visited USSR many rimes in that suprising period, often escaping to the concert halls.

@@gerardbegni2806 You are quite lucky. I wasn't born back than. My professors would tell me of two performances of this piece, none of which survive in recordings, yet are embedded deep in their memory. Both interpretations were by composers Arno Babajanyan and Gayane Tchebotarian (who studied with Kushnarev, who was in turn a student of Taneyev).

Lol

Gérard Begni you say the influence of Liszt is obvious but I can’t immediately find a source that states him as an inspiration of Taneyev nor can I hear Liszt in the piece itself. Scriabin, definitely though

@@moe5201 I agree u^pn the fact that it is closer to Scribin's first manner, but you know, the hatmonic sysytem od=f Sctaibain in his irst period v closely derived ftom Chopin and Liszt. Te. Yjese features are more apparent in the fantasy of the Prelude rather than in the strictness of the fugue. But I do not believe that there was a dirext influence of early Scriabin on Tanetev 'check the dates)? Rather I am pronr to thiink thet these two comosers drawn comparable harmonic conclusions from Chopin and Liszr (not Wagenr).

@@gerardbegni2806 Scriabin was actually a student of Taneyev's. Taneyev was considered one of the best music teachers in the russian tradition, especially in his teaching of counterpoint.

@@Godzilla-xt4nd I know that. Do you know Tanejev's prelude and fugue in G3 minor for piano.

I sincerely hope you're joking! This is Russian late-Romanticism at its very best.

This bears no comparison to any other piece...EVER! This is unique in the history of music.