By the time Scriabin composed the Poèmes (1905), he had already shaken off all significant keyboard influences, and his style had fully matured. Still, his artistic persona was still evolving; his tonal idiom would become less stable, his harmonies more daring, his sound world more ethereal.

The first of these two short Poèmes, marked Andante cantabile, has an airy innocence in its glistening mists and hazy images. It is impressionistic without invoking the musical language of Debussy, and is marked by bursts of passion. The second Poème, marked Allegro con eleganza con fiducia, is darker, a quality at once evident in its grim, nervous opening. It is typical of the composer in its fiery quality, mixing grace and thunder, hesitation and determination. Muscle and sweat yield suddenly to a quiet ending, leaving much unresolved.

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No.1 in F#

This is first of the Poems (2), Op. 32, a set written in the most productive year of the composer's career. But 1903 was also a time of profound change for Scriabin. He resigned his Moscow Conservatory professorship and started moving toward the mystical and ethereal style that would dominate his late compositions. Still, this work is largely rooted in the post-Romantic tradition, with quite attractive thematic material. That said, it also evokes certain sonorities of Debussy, without adopting his style. The music is playful and carefree, the main theme emerging from a misty opening in swirls and elegance that charm the ear. It briefly grows more animated and muscular, and seems to want to lower its range, as if to take on a gruff demeanor. But the music is too good-natured to coarsen its manner, and the main theme soon reappears in the airy, jaunty guise from the opening. After another flare-up, the music retreats to a subdued and quiet ending. This Poème typically has a duration of two-and-a-half minutes.

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