Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 43 “Le divin poème” (The Divine Poem)

Program notes

About the Work

The Third Symphony, composed between 1902 and 1904, marks a turning point for Scriabin. It is the first major work in which he explicitly incorporated his philosophical and mystical ideas, and those ideas would dominate the rest of his creative life.

The symphony’s programme describes the ascent of the human spirit from darkness to enlightenment. In less abstract terms, the work traces the soul’s journey from struggle and bondage through sensual pleasure to spiritual liberation.

For Scriabin, music now represented a reaching toward experiences beyond the ordinary, and the abstract symphony became a “poem.”

The premiere took place in Paris on May 29, 1905, conducted by the legendary Arthur Nikisch at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Over time, “The Divine Poem” has taken its place as one of Scriabin’s major achievements, a bridge between late Romanticism and the radical experiments that would follow.

The symphony is cast in three continuous movements, played without pause:

Introduction and “Luttes” (Struggles): A slow introduction presents the work’s motto themes: a portentous phrase in the bass followed by a rising trumpet figure. These motifs will return throughout the symphony in various guises. The main body of the movement depicts the conflict between humanity and the divine, between bondage and freedom.

“Voluptés” (Sensual Delights): A languid, perfumed movement that explores the seductions of earthly pleasure. The orchestration is rich and sensuous, the harmonies luxuriant.

“Jeu divin” (Divine Play): The spirit, having passed through struggle and temptation, attains freedom. The movement begins playfully, even skittishly, but builds to a blazing affirmation: the triumph of the liberated soul.

Listen for: The motto themes in the introduction, which bind the entire symphony together. The contrast between the turbulent “Struggles” and the languorous “Sensual Delights.” In the finale, notice how the music grows increasingly ecstatic, building to a peroration of almost unbearable intensity. The symphony’s concluding pages are among the most overwhelming in all of late-Romantic music.