Alexander Scriabin's Symphony No. 3 in C minor (Op. 43), entitled Le Divin Poème (The Divine Poem), was written between 1902 and 1904 and published in 1905. It was premiered in Paris on 29 May of that year.
Structure
The symphony consists of four sections, proceeding without pause:
Instrumentation
Woodwinds: Piccolo, 3 Flutes, 3 Oboes, English horn, 3 Clarinets (in B-flat), Bass Clarinet (in B-flat), 3 Bassoons, Contrabassoon Brass: 8 Horns (in F), 5 Trumpets (in B-flat), 3 Trombones, Tuba Percussion: Timpani, Tam-Tam, Cymbals, Bells, Triangle Strings: 16 First and 16 Second Violins, 12 Violas, 12 Violoncellos, 8 Double Basses (numbers stipulated by Scriabin in the score), 2 Harps
Performance on the piano
Leonid Sabaneyev mentions that this symphony is much clearer when performed on the piano. He cites a pupil of Sergei Taneyev with the words: One has to hear how Alexander Nikolayevich [Scriabin] himself plays this symphony on the piano, he made of it a kind of Poème for piano. The impression is unforgettable, and it sounds much better than with an orchestra.
This symphony has also been transcribed for piano duet by Leon Conus in 1905.
Le Divin Poème was premiered by Arthur Nikisch in Paris on 29 May 1905 at Le Théâtre Châtelet.