# Alkan



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I discovered Alkan about a year ago and couldn't believe what I was hearing, and more importantly why had I never come across him before? His music blows me away as I love really complicated piano music like Liszt and Chopin as well. Watching a pianist tackle these pieces makes me feel so empowered and in awe. While writing this I am listening to Alkan's Scherzo Focoso, what a piece! 

Also, at about the same time I found Alkan I discovered a German composer/pianist of the same period, but can't remember his name. I beleive he did a transcript of a Bellini opera.

PS I'm talking about CV Alkan and not the other one, Seigfried Alkan.


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

The German composer/pianist was Thalberg!


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## Alkanian (Dec 31, 2009)

Alkan is a great composer (You can tell by my name) my favorite composition by him is his Les Preux Etude.
And for some reason his music has been neglected until lately, I hope to see more recordings of his works on youtube.

I also like his overture on the piano.


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Alkanian said:


> Alkan is a great composer (You can tell by my name) my favorite composition by him is his Les Preux Etude.
> And for some reason his music has been neglected until lately, I hope to see more recordings of his works on youtube.
> 
> I also like his overture on the piano.


As you will be aware, Mark-Andre Hamelin produced a CD in 2001 containing some of Alkan's works, which did a lot to re-stimulate interest in that composer. It needed someone of Hamelin's high technical ability to handle the complexity of Alkan's music.

Because there was a fair bit of interest regards Alkan on another Board some few years ago I bought that CD (_Symphony for Solo Piano)_. At the time I thought it was very good and I still play it occasionally, but mainly to listen to the technical brilliance of Hamelin, who outshines much of the competition these days. Since then Hamelin has done another CD of Alkan's music, and I believe a few other pianists have jumped on the bandwagon.

I have mixed feeliings about Alkan. He is very specialised: mainly solo piano and some work for cello. He certainly wrote interesting, novel and challenging material for the piano, some of which is very good. On the whole, however, I don't really find it all that much to my liking, but this is entirely a taste thing. His style is a kind of darker side of Liszt, but I prefer Liszt. For that matter I much prefer Schumann and Chopin to either of them whose musical poetry is much more to my liking than the heavy Alkan type material.


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## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

I've got the recordings by Ronald Smith 2003; it contains many of the etudes (including the symphony and concerto) and smaller works. My favourite though is the symphony, especially the 1st movement. The way he builds up the recapitulation then quickly modulates in the same bar from major to minor and back again is very pleasing. Also the final two chords of the movement-c major to c minor- somehow, it just works so well.


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