Though known for his interpretations of Chopin, Beethoven and Schubert, pianist Garrick Ohlsson feels a strong affinity for Scriabin.

“If you ask any trained musician, it is beyond discussion that Scriabin is one of the great composers at the turn of the century, in the company of Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Stravinsky,” Ohlsson said in a recent interview with the San Francisco Examiner. “He had a genius for piano sound, very much the way Chopin did.”

For his Symphony Center Presents recital Jan. 25, Ohlsson will take a Russian focus, with pieces by Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. This year marks the centennial of Scriabin’s death, and Ohlsson has programmed six of the composer’s works, including two etudes and two sonatas. The sonatas, Nos. 5 and 7, were written later in Scriabin’s career. “[Scriabin’s] late phase is probably more appealing to geeky, nerdy musician types,” Ohlsson said, “but in his time, and still to this day in Russia, Scriabin is very much up there with Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.”

To read the full interview, click here.