Skrjabin's 9th Sonata is often referred to as the Black Mass. Unlike the 7th Sonata, the so-called White Mass, this name did not stem from the composer. He writes: In the ninth sonata I came closer than ever before to the Satanic.... The mystic-dark sphere fascinated Skrjabin. Anyone who listens to this bizarre work will involuntarily become caught up in the diabolical vortex - the music heads towards the sonata's dramatic conclusion as if being pulled in an undertow. The highly expressive work was given its first performance by the composer himself. Following its first publication he revised it, and this new edition was the primary source for our edition.