Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Charles-Valentine Alkan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWUvI7bMMB0

Check it.

What a workout! Bravo.

Alkan is Piano on Steroids.

hahahaha true true - thank you.

AMAZING!! I never heard Alkan before.

Thank you. Great video.

There's lots on Youtube, this is one of the very best performances:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dSqkzsWXlU

Jack Gibbons playing Op.35/5 'Allegro Barbaro' - the amount of control he has is amazing, not to mention the accuracy of those octaves!

Alkan is one of my favorite romantic pianist/composers. If you get the chance, get the recordings of Ronald Smith who is the definitive Alkan interpreter. My favorite of his are the set of etudes from Op. 39 no. 4-7. I believe combined, these make up his piano symphony and is quite a treat to listen to. but be careful for many of his works surpass liszt's transcendental etudes, and even liszt stated that alkan had the most perfect technique he had ever seen.

I know very well about comparing alkan and liszt... I have done much research, and have actually played a lecutre recital with all the transcendental etudes, plus select alkan works. I think... it was probably the stupidest thing i could have done, because the amount of time that went into practicing all of the rep. could probably have been spent in a much better way.

Yes, I agree, that performance rocks!!

I have Gibbons playing all of the Opus 39 Etudes, and I think those recordings absolutely splendid. Yet everytime Alkan recommendations come up, Gibbons receives the snub. I think he has a much better command than Ronald Smith, as much as I admire the latter's piano playing.

And you should hear Gibbons in Gershwin.... a brash, yet delectable, feast of all that makes Gershwin such an enduring favourite of mine.

More must hear Alkan:

Grande Sonate
Trois morceaux dans le genre pathétique: La morte, Comme le vent, Aime moi
Le festin Desope
Scherzo Diabolico
Allegreto Alla Barbaresca

Personally, the only Alkan I think is of top quality is the Quasi-Faust (33-ii.), 39-4, and a few of the deuxieme receuil de chants. The rest tend to be OK, but interesting pyrotechnics.

I really like the Jack Gibbons plays Alkan. He's able to not only perform the pyro-tecnics needed for the performance, he also adds in the dynamics and feeling that is there as well. Hamlin seems to play harshly and very mechanically.

I probably shouldn't say too much because I know I could never even attempt these at all.

John