Etude op.42 no.5

This etude, from Scriabin's middle period, is very difficult to play; and not only because of its fast tempo. The A section combines intricate inner voices with a leaping bassline. The B section, with its Schumann-like melodic sweeps, continues the emotional build-up. The ending uses an insistent two-against-three to press upwards toward the final explosion and its dying echo.