j_menz, one of my friends performed the Allelujah and two Marches, and you might like that:
Do you know his Etude alla barbaro(not to be confused with Op.35 No.5)? If so, do you know where to get scores for it? :)
I also started on the Marche Funebre Op. 26, a wonderful, dark piece. You should be able to get it into your fingers within a day or two (at most a week).
As I have hoped, around 2013, the bicentennial of Alkan's birth, many pianists have come out of the woodwork to join Raymond Lewenthal, Ronald Smith, John Ogdon, Bernard Ringeissen, Laurent Martin Marc-Andre Hamelin, Jack Gibbons, and others as recorders and performers of Alkan.
-Stephanie McCallum has made multiple Alkan CD's before, but she has recently recorded the complete Thirty Chants, and the first volume is available here, as well as iTunes, Amazon, and probably other similar sites: https://www.toccataclassics.com/cddetail.php?CN=TOCC0157
-Vincenzo Maltempo recorded the Grande Sonate, Symphonie, and Hands Reunited etude, and as well as being a bright young virtuoso (his technical mastery of these pieces is staggering), he offers very stylistically pleasing and tasteful interpretations. Here is an Amazon link, but it's probably available on many other sites, too: https://www.amazon.com/Alkan-Grande-Symphony-Vincenzo-Maltempo/dp/B007O5CMNM
Note... Maltempo has FOUR more Alkan CD's forthcoming this year!! I'll talk about those more later :)
-Albert Frantz also recorded the Grande Sonate, and all three of the Op. 76 etudes. If you listen to his recording right after Maltempo's, you'll find that the tempi of Hands Reunited is a tad slower, but actually, Frantz is closer to Alkan's metronome mark. The Grande Sonate is remarkably done, and he never drags or surrenders to any technical difficulty of the work, and it's just as remarkable as any other great recording of it, in my opinion. Another personal note is that I really like the sound of the piano in this recording. The bass especially roars very well.
-Still want some more Grande Sonate? Try Pascal Amoyel, who has the Grande Sonate along with some smaller works (Nocturne Op. 22, Barcarolle 65/6, Madwoman on the Seashore 31/8, Esquisses "La Vision," "Les Cloches," and "Les Soupirs" 63/1, 4, and 11). Overall tempos in the Grande Sonate are sometimes a bit slower, but it's still a very well-done performance. The smaller works are all beautifully and enchantingly performed. Here is a link to the mp3 downloads, and I think the actual CD will be released in June (you can pre-order it now). I just purchased the mp3 files myself. https://www.amazon.com/Alkan-Piano-Works/dp/B00BKENFGG
-Steven Hough's French Album has the Madwoman prelude on it, and it's done well, but I think there is actually a misreading. If you want the whole CD, here is a link, though you can find individual mp3 download options in many places, too. https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Houghs-French-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B008FR3ME6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1369155357&sr=1-1&keywords=stephen+hough+french
-Alessandro Deljavan was a competitor in the 2009 Van Cliburn competition, and is also participating in the current competition again. He recently recorded the Sonatine, Op. 76 etudes, and two pieces Op. 60. I honestly haven't heard this recording, but if he was good enough to make it into the competition in the first place, these recordings must be worth it. It's also available on Amazon (I think on the UK site though, not sure about the American Amazon), but you can hear some sound previews here. It seems to be VERY good. https://www.onclassical.com/artists/deljavan/alkan/
Vincenzo Maltempo's upcoming recordings
I said above that Maltempo has FOUR (4!!!) more complete discs to be released (or at least recorded) during this calendar year, the last two on a period Erad that Alkan would have used!
CD 1 is the Grande Sonate/Symphonie/Hands Reunited disc that is already released that I already mentioned.
CD 2: Trois Morceaux Op. 15, Sonatine Op. 61, Overture and Le Festin d'Esope Op. 39/11 and 12
CD 3: Comme le Vent, En Rythme Molossique, Scherzo Diabolico, Concerto for Solo Piano Op. 39/1-3, 8-10. This completes Maltempo having done the complete Op. 39
CD 4: On a period Erad: Alleluia Op. 25, Marche funebre et triomphale Op. 26 and 27, Capricci Op. 50, Fantaisies Op. 41, Minuetto alla tedesca Op. 46, Le Preux Op. 17, and Le chemin de fer Op. 27 (yes, both Le Chemin de Fer and Marche Triomphale are both Op. 27. I believe this is because of rival publishing companies back when Alkan wrote these works).
CD 5: Josè Vianna da Motta's transcriptions for piano solo (and piano 4 hands) of 8 Prières Op. 64 and 9 Preludes Op. 66 by Alkan (originally for piano pedalier/Organ)
I'm excited for all of these upcoming CD's, and I hope you fellow Alkan lovers are, too!!
What's the story on Alkan scores these days? Urtext editions? In the past there were only ancient engravings, barely legible to modern eyes...
Ballidout still publishes quite a lot of his workBillaudot!...
Billaudot!...
Best,
Alistair