Vincent Larderet enters the Scriabin 150th-birthday sweepstakes with a judicious overview of works spanning the composer’s creative lifespan. Expansive and full-bodied readings of the popular C sharp minor and B flat minor Études bracket a relatively heavy F sharp minor Op 8 No 2. The Prelude and Nocturne for left hand alone features alluring phrasings and ravishing high-register tracery. Larderet gives his fervent all in the Second Sonata’s first-movement Andante, although his Presto yields to the suppler scintillation and wider dynamic compass distinguishing live recordings by Yuja Wang (DG, 8/09), Daniil Trifonov (DG, 12/13) and Sviatoslav Richter.

The pianist gives the C sharp minor Étude, Op 42 No 5, a convincingly weighty, neo-Brahmsian emphasis that differs from Horowitz’s febrile vantage point. Likewise, he builds the Seventh Sonata from the bottom up, taking plenty of time to let the grand textural waves and coruscating climaxes resonate. This explains his interpretation’s 15-minute duration, in contrast to lither and more mercurial accounts from Arcadi Volodos (12'21" – Sony, 6/10) and Vladimir Ashkenazy (10'46" – Decca, 9/78). The Ninth Sonata also lasts longer than usual, yet this pianist’s controlled and evocatively atmospheric opening pages are analogous to my late American colleague Harris Goldsmith’s description of a kitten working its way out of a bag. Whatever Larderet lacks in nervous energy or demonic impetus, one must credit his focused and purposeful trills.

If Vers la flamme transpires at lower voltage than Horowitz and Sofronitsky, I still like the way Larderet assiduously ignites the fiery broken chords, taking care not to get too loud too soon. Similarly, he revels more in the Op 74 Preludes’ harmonic ambiguity than in their necromantic drama. Ending this recital with Manfred Kelkel’s prelude based on sketches from Scriabin’s Mysterium might seem odd, yet the music sounds like pure, unadulterated Scriabin. As bonus tracks, sensitive renditions of Scriabin’s two Op 73 Dances stretch the total playing time to 85 generous minutes. Martin Rust’s excellent production values also deserve mention and praise.