# Alkan



## emiellucifuge

Alkan was a french Pianist and composers of the romantic era. He entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 7 and was his teachers favorite pupil, his rivals being Bizet, Gounod and Franck.

He was a rival of Liszt and was known for his piano virtuosity throughout all europe. Vincent d'Indy commented after witnessing a performance, that while Liszt was technically perfect, Alkan had a lot more emotion and clarity in his playing. Later in life he was Chopins neighbour and they became friends, despite Alkans life of seclusion in his later year, caused by a rejection for the post of piano teacher at the conservatory.

HE composed mainy pieces even at a young age, mostly solo piano but also a few concertos.

I very much recommend the two chamber concertos written in his teens, especially the last movement of the first one.


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## LvB

I discovered Alkan years ago through Michael Ponti's recording of the Symphony for Piano Solo and John Ogdon's of the Concerto for Solo Piano, both works from his Op. 39 set of Etudes which demand astonishing virtuosity. The Concerto is especially wild; there are scales which move like glissandos and huge leaping chords in abundance-- and you really can hear the alternation between piano and 'orchestra'. But not all of his output is gigantic; there are all sorts of short pieces which are fairly simple and often quite striking. Among my favorites are 'La Tambour bat aux Champs,' which prefigures Mahler in startling ways, yet which remains recognizably Alkan, the short piece 'Les Diablotins,' which uses clumped grace notes which end up sounding almost like tone clusters (!), and an absolutely hilarious 'Funeral March for a Parrot for chorus and a couple of instruments, the entire text of which is apparently based on a conversation with said bird. A unique and intriguing composer indeed.

Anton Rubinstein dedicated his most difficult piano concerto, #5, to Alkan-- but I doubt there's anything in it as difficult as in Alkan's more extravagant pieces....


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## Mirror Image

emiellucifuge said:


> He was a rival of Liszt and was known for his piano virtuosity throughout all europe. Vincent d'Indy commented after witnessing a performance, that while Liszt was technically perfect, Alkan had a lot more emotion and clarity in his playing. Later in life he was Chopins neighbour and they became friends, despite Alkans life of seclusion in his later year, caused by a rejection for the post of piano teacher at the conservatory.


Liszt was seriously a better composer than Alkan and certainly more versatile. It seems Alkan stuck to piano music only while Liszt wrote and helped innovate programmatic music.


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## Lukecash12

*Alkan Playlist*

http://www.youtube.com/user/Lukecash12#play/user/EF6BB732BFADE86A

I have compiled a play list of 150 videos of Alkan's music. Each video is my favorite interpretation of each piece, with a few exceptions in which there are more than one video of the same piece throughout the play list (but the exceptions are very few).


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## emiellucifuge

I love Alkan, thx for this!


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## Lukecash12

Oh, no problem my friend.


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## Lukecash12

He truly is an amazing composer.


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## Air

You are my hero, Lukecash12! Alkan has always been incredibly intriguing. Nice playlist of Medtner too.

You've also made me notice just how much I love Marc-Andre Hamelin.


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## Lukecash12

Oh, no problem. I'll continue finding his works. And by god, some day I'll find that missing symphony in B.


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## Orange Soda King

I suppose I should not make a second thread about a composer and instead bump this old one, although most forums are sensitive about bumping old threads, so sorry if this is against the rules...

Regarding one of the above posts about Liszt helping to innovate programmatic music, Alkan was doing that since he was 15 or 16 years old with his "Les Omnibus" Op. 2, which is supposed to portray the Parisian bus system at the time. He also wrote the Trois Morceaux Op. 15 which consist of "Aime-Moi" ("Love Me"), "Le Vent" ("The Wind"), and "Morte" ("Death") along with an etude (which I personally don't care too much for, but he wrote it nonetheless) called "Le Preux" (I think it means "The Knight") in 1837. In 1844 came another etude called "Le Chemin de Fer" ("The Railroad"), the Grande Sonate "Les Quatre Ages" in 1846 or '47, "L'incendie au village voisin" ("Fire in the neighboring village") from the Op. 35 etudes, sometime before 1850, and plenty of more programmatic music until the end of his life.

Regarding the super-virtuosity required for some of his pieces (not as many as you'd think, actually), you can forget about that and enjoy his smaller works like the Nocturne in B Major Op. 22, many of the Chants from Op. 38, 65, 67, and 70, the Preludes Op. 31, the Esquisses Op. 63, and others.

My personal favorite is actually the Sonate de Concert for piano and cello (or viola) Op. 47. Check out the recording of Yehuda Hanani and Edward Auer if you get a chance! It's my favorite. 

I have played a few Alkan pieces: Etude in G Major Op. 35 No. 3, Etude in F Major "Allegro Barbaro" Op. 35 No. 5, Barcarolle in G Minor Op. 65 No. 6, and Nocturne in B Major Op. 22. This summer I will be learning the Sonate de Concert Op. 47. I am so excited!!

I hope that in 2013 (Alkan's 200th), there will be more attention payed to his music, and afterward he will be a bit more well known and performed in the concert hall. I know I will include Alkan in the repertoire I assign to my future students!


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## science

Orange Soda King said:


> I suppose I should not make a second thread about a composer and instead bump this old one, although most forums are sensitive about bumping old threads, so sorry if this is against the rules...


I think you did the right thing. This particular forum seems to be more sensitive about "duplicate" threads than about bumping old ones.

I look forward to watching Lukecash's playlist.


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## Ukko

Orange Soda King said:


> I suppose I should not make a second thread about a composer and instead bump this old one, although most forums are sensitive about bumping old threads, so sorry if this is against the rules...


I too am glad you 'bumped'. Alkan is my favorite composer after the 4Bs, especially as played by Hamelin (he somehow projects the sardonic humor that tinges much of the music). Any time I read "Alkan" I get a little lift.


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## Orange Soda King

Hamelin does a good job overall with Alkan, but my favorite recording by him is the Concerto for Solo Piano. The one I don't like quite as much is the Grande Sonate. I like Ronald Smith's the most.

I guess what I like about Alkan the most is that he was one of the least "showy" of composers, which is interesting because some of his music is highly difficult (like Comme le Vent or Le Preux, although I am not the biggest fan of Le Preux past being just a technical study). I feel it is more about him having a certain musical picture he wanted to paint, and because he himself was such a good pianist (as well as many of friends/peers/etc. around him: Chopin, Liszt, Saint-Saens, his son Delaborde, Anton Rubenstein), it didn't matter too much the chops/virtuosity needed to achieve such musical picture. Some examples of these would be in some of his etudes which he made programmatic, like Comme le Vent, Le Preux, or Le Chemin de Fer, which I once again urge most to think of them the same level you would a Chopin Etude (just a study, not a concert masterpiece like longer, more substantial works).

I feel people get the wrong impression of Alkan by either hearing only his virtuoso etudes or people obsessing over him just because of the virtuoso etudes. It's a shame, because Alkan never wanted to "flaunt" himself like that. It's okay, the more and more he slowly becomes more known (as he is, and as I said before, I hope 2013 is a big rise in knowledge and performance of his music), I think well-informed people will hopefully step up, inform the public when necessary, people will have more of an accurate understanding of Alkan and he will have more of a stake than the mysterious position he currently holds in the piano repertoire today.


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## Lukecash12

Excellent things to say, SodaKing. People should really listen to the Esquisses and Preludes. Not to mention all of the wonderful organ music that we know of and can listen to today.

But I would still emphasize getting in his wild and often monumental works like the concerto, symphony, overture, Le Festin De Esope, Comme Le Vent Impromptu on Luther's "un forte", etc. whether or not they are virtuosic. Hell, I could play his Contrapunctus, from the major keyed etude set, all day long and not be bored. People shouldn't be afraid to listen to Alkan's wild and difficult works as well, is what I'd mainly try to get across.

I'd also recommend his marche funebre and march triomphale, as well as other assorted works like the allegro capriccioso.


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## Guest

Has no one mentioned the Funeral March for a Dead Parrot? Way ahead of its time -- Alkan anticipates Monty Python by about 100 years.






Definitely sui generis.

[Oops I just found mention above by LvB in #2 - oh well]


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## Ukko

The "Funeral March" is protest music. It is over-the-top 'Monte Pythonish' for that reason.


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## Lukecash12

Hilltroll72 said:


> The "Funeral March" is protest music. It is over-the-top 'Monte Pythonish' for that reason.


Protest music? I think I had read in "Alkan: The man, the music" that his son Delaborde loved parrots, and Alkan wrote it to express dark humor and entertain Delaborde. Don't see where you get the idea of protest out of it.


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## Ukko

I've done some reading about Alkan too, you see. The 'story' I got is that Alkan was highly annoyed about the frequency of funeral marches through the streets, blocking and otherwise disrupting traffic, honoring people he had never heard of.

Actually, our respective 'stories' are not contradictory. Glad to learn of yours.


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## clavichorder

I enjoy Ronald Smith's recordings of Alkan. To me, he has a bit more soul than Hamelin.


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## Ukko

clavichorder said:


> I enjoy Ronald Smith's recordings of Alkan. To me, he has a bit more soul than Hamelin.


Several pianists made recordings that treat Alkan more 'Romantically' than has Hamelin, Ronald Smith among them. Hamelin is the best I've heard at other aspects of his music though. Have you heard any of the Lewenthal recordings? One LP even features the "Funeral March for a Papagallo", where Lewenthal has a 'cameo' singing part.


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## clavichorder

I have not heard the Funeral march yet. Nor have I heard Lewenthal. I don't own any of the Hamelin recordings, but I still enjoy them a lot.


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## Lukecash12

Hilltroll72 said:


> I've done some reading about Alkan too, you see. The 'story' I got is that Alkan was highly annoyed about the frequency of funeral marches through the streets, blocking and otherwise disrupting traffic, honoring people he had never heard of.
> 
> Actually, our respective 'stories' are not contradictory. Glad to learn of yours.


kk, didn't mean to be confrontational. Mind telling me where you read that? I'd like to read from that author.


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## Ukko

Lukecash12 said:


> kk, didn't mean to be confrontational. Mind telling me where you read that? I'd like to read from that author.


It was long ago, and it doesn't need to be long ago to be far away. The odds are about 60-40 that I got the story from LP jacket notes. Maybe if we both do a Google search, all (or at least something) will be revealed.


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## Ukko

Hilltroll72 said:


> It was long ago, and it doesn't need to be long ago to be far away. The odds are about 60-40 that I got the story from LP jacket notes. Maybe if we both do a Google search, all (or at least something) will be revealed.


Raymond Lewenthal mentions neither story in his notes for his Alkan LP. I didn't see either reference among the hits in a Google search. It's possible that I read 'my' story in the notes for the Adda CD of performances by Em 2m - but I no longer have that CD. None of my other CDs contains the 'Papagallo'. So.. I have hit the wall.

:tiphat:


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## HerlockSholmes

NEGLECTED AND FORGOTTEN GENIUS!


That is all.


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## clavichorder

Only Alkan could have or would have done this.


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## Ukko

I have the Hamelin CD. The cadenza is pure, tongue jammed in cheek Alkan.


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## Orange Soda King

Well, it's 2013, the 200th anniversary year of Alkan's birth. I'm so excited!! The pianist Vincenzo Maltempo has recorded a CD of the Symphonie, Grande Sonate, and Etude Op. 76 No. 3. He gave this YouTube channel written permission to upload these two fantastic recordings:

-Second movement of Sonate (Quasi-Faust) 



-Etude 76/3 "Hands Reuinted" 




Maltempo has another project that includes the Trois Morceaux Op. 15 (very wonderful, dark Romantic pieces), Overture Op. 39/11, Le Festin d'Esope 39/12, and some other works.

Another pianist named Albert Frantz came out with a CD that also includes the Grande Sonate and the Hands Reunited etude, as well as the other two studies from Op. 76. 




Stephanie McCallum, who has released some Alkan CD's in the past (including the complete Op. 35 and Op. 39!!) is doing the complete Chants Opp. 38, 65, 67, and 70.

I'm interested to see what Alkan-veterans Jack Gibbons and Marc-Andre Hamelin plan to do, and what other famous pianists who haven't performed Alkan suddenly decide to program in their concerts. 

There are many other Alkan projects that I either overlooked or just didn't list here; be on the lookout!


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## EricABQ

I'm listening to his Esquisses played by Steven Osborne. 

Absolutely one of my favorite recordings in my entire collection. It's at least a weekly listen for me.


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## Orange Soda King

EricABQ said:


> I'm listening to his Esquisses played by Steven Osborne.
> 
> Absolutely one of my favorite recordings in my entire collection. It's at least a weekly listen for me.


I have that album. It's fantastic, isn't it? I recorded myself playing No. 1 "La Vision" a while back, along with three of his Op. 31 Preludes. Of course, I'm not Steven Osborne.


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## EricABQ

That was very good. 

I find myself enjoying Alkan's short pieces more than I do his longer epics. 

That probably says more about my listening habits than about the pieces themselves, though.


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## Orange Soda King

*Charles-Valentin Alkan's 200th birthday*

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles-Valentin Alkan. A great composer whose music fell into obscurity due to leading a life of obscurity, but is incredibly warm and fresh. Here is the slow movement of his cello sonata for your enjoyment


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## EricABQ

Alkan is one of my favorites and pretty consistently one of my most listened to composers in any given month.

Absolutely love his Esquisses, symphony for solo piano, concerto for solo piano, and four ages. The etudes and preludes are also really good.

A true favorite of mine.


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## Cosmos

Happy belated Birthday! Le Festin d'Esope continues to be my favorite set of romantic piano variations.


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## Geraldo

I really like the music, I sing to my wife, using my current favorite guitar valentine day later. thanks for the information.


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## Matsps

Vincenzo Maltempo released a video on Youtube of him playing the complete set of minor études by Alkan: 




The performance is absolutely stunning!


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## Alkan

I bought my first Alkan LP in the late 1980's not knowing what to expect. The "4 ages" sonata with Ronald Smith was mesmerizing from the opening scherzo. This, I thought, is interesting well-crafted music, yet harder to find than works Mozart wrote when he was 11 years old. Fortunately, the internet has now made it so much easier to find the works of Alkan and other forgotten composers.


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