17 CLÉMENT LEFEBVRE His first two Impromptus, Op. 7, marked ‘à la Mazur’ and following on from his Ten Mazurkas, Op. 3, were clearly inspired by Chopin. Scriabin composed these eight Impromptus between 1891 and 1895. What are their characteristics, and did his writing evolve at the end of this short period? With the Mazurka, Scriabin went through this phase not only of taking hold of, but also of appropriating a genre that typically belonged to Chopin. Some of his Impromptus, not only those in Op. 7 but also Op. 14 No.1, have the same allure. They have that simplicity of expression, that immediate, disarming charm that moves me. Opus 10 No.1 is poignantly melancholy and highly refined. Op. 12 No.1 is an intoxicating whirlwind. The second of this opus is imbued with a strong sense of pathos and, with its particular expressive intensity, is a good representation of the composer in his youth. The contained pain of Op. 14 No.2 is deeply moving. While the shadow of Chopin hangs over them, Scriabin's writing bears witness, opus after opus, to an increasingly personal way of conceiving sound, revealing more striking, even violent harmonies. From their combinations of registers emerge unheard-of resonances, in subtle shades. In Opus 12 No.1, he introduces a polyrhythm that gives his music that inner movement and intoxicating momentum characteristic of the style he would go on to develop.
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