# Alkan v Chopin



## beetzart (Dec 30, 2009)

Alkan is quirky and obscure(ish) Chopin is emotional and well known but they were good friends. Who the the finest composer out of the two?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

When we're talking personal favourites, it is Chopin for me. By far.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Ditto. Even in more objective terms, his music is at least as forward-looking and a good deal more accessible at the same time. I could do without Alkan's music relatively easily, but doing without Chopin's would be a very different matter.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Chopin wins hands down, I like Alkan every now and then though.


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

Same here, Chopin most of the time, and Alkan periodically


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Alkan is a fun listen, but I'd always return to Chopin.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

I agree with the general consensus. Chopin, if it has to be one or the other. But I would miss Alkan for the occasional breath of something unexpected and original.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Chopin for sure. I enjoy Alkan, and he's definitely underrated, but he's not in Chopin's league.


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

I believe they were actually neighbors at some point, if memory serves correctly. Imagine the block parties. Or even better (for us introverts) - imagine them having piano battles through the wall, upstaging each other, defying the quiet and the night, all from the stillness of their homes.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

I would actually say alkan because - well, that's the thing. I don't know why. Chopin seems to have _waay_ more emotional depth yet i still opt for Alkan. Maybe it's the eccentricity of Paris life ...


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

i like music said:


> I would actually say alkan because - well, that's the thing. I don't know why. Chopin seems to have _waay_ more emotional depth yet i still opt for Alkan. Maybe it's the eccentricity of Paris life ...


Or just a matter of taste.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

While Chopin touches the heart, Alkan's appeal is a more visceral one. Both were great composers and I am glad I don't really have to choose.😀


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

I like both composers very much. Chopin just shades it for me.

Circa 1994, I attended a performance of Alkan's 12 Etudes Op. 39 given by Jack Gibbons. The Concerto and Symphony for Solo Piano were amazing and I count it as one of the best concerts I've ever attended.


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