This is a rather variable release. I found myself wondering now many of the pieces played were actually a part of Steuerman's repertoire, since the level of involvement with the music changes so much. The Third Sonata, for instance, dating from the closing years of the last century, sounds very dull here and one suspects a lack of real familiarity with the music. Dutiful attention may be paid to the drammatico marking of its first movement, but when we come to the Presto con fuoco finale, the tempo is not fast enough nor is there much in the way of force. Phrasing is competently done, but with little insight.
The more advanced and compact style of the Fourth Sonata suits Steuerman better. He finds a greater range of colour for his playing, but, as before, in the finale, with its Prestissimo volando, the pace is allowed to slacken too much. Some technical strain is evident at the end, which is consequently a bit muddled. Things definitely improve with the Fifth Sonata of 1908, which was written in the same year that Scriabin began to be involved with the Theosophical Movement. One immediately appreciates more depth and poise in this reading and there is a genuine feeling for the visionary aspects of the score.
As for the shorter pieces, which are so personal and enigmatic, the pianist is more adept in the intricacy of the Deux morceaux, Op. 57 than in the rhapsodizing of the well-known Poeme in F sharp from Op. 32. The latter is undercharacterized and too small, and sounds as if it is written in one stanza. Of all these miniatures, however, I most enjoyed the second of the Op. 44 Poemes. The piece is almost like a parody of a typical Russian salon piece of the nineteenth century and Steuerman treats it with real sophistication. The recorded sound is generally acceptable, although not particularly pleasant in loud passages.'