Like many of Scriabin's late works, the piece does not conform to classical harmony and is instead built on the mystic chord and modal transpositions of its tone center.
The piece is notorious for its difficulty, in particular the enormous leaps and long, unusual double-note trills in the final pages.
According to pianist Vladimir Horowitz, the piece was inspired by Scriabin's eccentric conviction that a constant accumulation of heat would ultimately cause the destruction of the world.
The piece has also been compared to Louis Brassin's piano transcription of Wagner's "Magic Fire Music" from Die Walkure.
[4] Notable pianists who have performed the work include Horowitz, Sviatoslav Richter, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Arcadi Volodos and Grigory Sokolov.