Alkan?

[alejo_90]

Hi everyone !
I opened this thread because I have never heard a single piece of the famous composer Alkan. Would someone mind to post some recordings of his works? I would really appreciate that. 
I'm very curious about his compositions.  Some biographies or Info would be also appreciated.

Cheers
Alex

[presto agitato]

* French

* Piano Virtuoso

* Romantic Era

* One of the few pianist who was able to play "Hammerklavier Sonata "

* He composed some of the most difficult piano music ever

* His music was very criticized by Schumann

* Much of his life was spent in eccentric obscurity, withdrawn from society.

* Orthodox Jew

* "At the age of 25 something happened to him mentally, and he became increasingly introverted, rarely appearing on stage" From NAXOS website

He is way overrated in this forum.
However, he composed a couple of great works: Symphony for solo Piano and Concerto di Camara in A minor.

[da jake]

His chamber concerti are NOT among his best works.

Alkan's best:

Grande Duo Concertante for Violin and Piano op 21
Sonata Opus 33 (last three mvts)
Symphony 39/4-7
Concerto 39/8-10
Festin D'Esope 39/12

These works effectively cement Alkan's status as one of the very best composers for the piano. So he's really not all that overrated.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

You might find this to be of interest:

https://piano.francais.free.fr/

Here there is a biography, and an extensive collection of downloadable Alkan scores (not all are printable, due to copyright restrictions). This site also has some downloadable midi files.

[elevateme]

franzliszt2 is an alkan specialist if u want to know more

[tompilk]

he is awesome... if you want some of the better stuff, his op. 39 etudes in minor keys are a good place to start (my favourite)... Hie Equisses are less impressive but very orignial and good...
TOm
Here's Op 39.. i found the link on Gamingforce:
https://www.gamingforce.com/forums/redirect-to/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.megaupload.com%2F%3Fd%3DML5DKU5X
Listen to the last 4 mins of No. 11 - mindblowing!!!

[franzliszt2]

Go to a decent CD shop, and buy some CD'S, jack gibbons playing the etudes is a great start, and ronald smith. I have a ronald smith CD of lots of different pieces by Alkan, and that got me interested.

Also do some reading, and make your own mind up on his death, "is it true he died because a book shelf containing all his music in fell on top of him?"  Thats the true question 

[prometheus]

From wikipedia:

Alkan died in Paris at the age of 74. For many years it was believed that his death was caused by a bookcase falling on him in his home, brought down as he reached for a volume of the Talmud which he had placed on the highest shelf (in the position closest to Heaven). This apocryphal tale, which appears to have been circulated by Delaborde, has been effectively disproved by Hugh MacDonald in an article in the Musical Times (vol. 129, 1978 - More on Alkan's Death). The story may have its roots in a legend told of the Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Asher, known as 'Shaagat Aryeh', rabbi of Metz, the town from which Alkan's family originated. (See also talk page for discussion of Alkan's death). Alkan is buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris.

A myth also circulates about an alleged obituary of Alkan, cited as fact in Ronald Smith's biograhpy and since widely quoted, credited to the magazine 'Le Ménéstrel', beginning with the words "Alkan is dead. He had to die in order to prove his existence." No such obituary appeared in 'Le Ménéstrel' and none has been located to date in any other contemporary journal.

[da jake]

I would recommend the Raymond Lewenthal recording of Symphony, Festin, and Quasi-Faust as well as the Hexameron Variations of Liszt (etc.) as an introduction to the music of Alkan.

The Mystery of Alkan's Death:

The French Alkan Society cleared up the mystery of Alkans' death. They found a letter from the pupil who discovered Alkan - still alive - on his back on the ground with books all around him. Apparently, Alkan fell from his hall coat and hat stand, after trying to reach a book on the high shelf. Doctors were called for, but he died shortly after they arrived. There was no mention of the Talmud in the student's letter.

[brahmsian]

Hamelin's Alkan is the best. Smith is good for interp but his technique is sub-par compared to Hamelin's. Gibbons is second best.

Randomly.

[da jake]

Hamelin's Alkan is excellent. But Lewenthal's Festin Desope is the single best Alkan recording ever made.

[brahmsian]

Hamelin's Alkan is excellent. But Lewenthal's Festin Desope is the single best Alkan recording ever made.

true. I don't really like Hamelin's Festin. His tempos are strange in some of the variations.

[alejo_90]

Wow ! Thanks everyone ! I didn't know all that stuff about Alkan. I thought he was one of these strange contemporary composers.   

Go to a decent CD shop, and buy some CD'S, jack gibbons playing the etudes is a great start, and ronald smith. I have a ronald smith CD of lots of different pieces by Alkan, and that got me interested.

I would, but the problem is that in the country I live, you can only find Pop, Rock, Salsa, Reggaeton, etc, etc. on the CD stores. You can barely find Beethoven, Bach, Mozart & Rachmaninoff in the best store. The first time I heard about Alkan was in this forum, and that's what got me interested about his works.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the recommendations & the info !
Alex

[contrapunctus]

Wow ! Thanks everyone ! I didn't know all that stuff about Alkan. I thought he was one of these strange contemporary composers.   

I would, but the problem is that in the country I live, you can only find Pop, Rock, Salsa, Reggaeton, etc, etc. on the CD stores. You can barely find Beethoven, Bach, Mozart & Rachmaninoff in the best store. The first time I heard about Alkan was in this forum, and that's what got me interested about his works.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the recommendations & the info !
Alex

There is a magical place called the internet where if you type in a sixteen digit number and click a button, almost anything in the world can be shipped to your doorstep!

[alejo_90]

There is a magical place called the internet where if you type in a sixteen digit number and click a button, almost anything in the world can be shipped to your doorstep!

Yes I know that ! Thanks for the sarcasm !
I got half of my music library on the internet, but I didn't found very much of Alkan.

Best
Alex

[franzliszt2]

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/104-0011789-9502330?%5Fencoding=UTF8&dym=0&search-type=ss&index=classical&field-keywords=alkan

Theres a link to amazon, take your pick

[contrapunctus]

Yes I know that ! Thanks for the sarcasm !
I got half of my music library on the internet, but I didn't found very much of Alkan.

Best
Alex
[quote/]   

I am sorry for my sardonism, I should never have said that in that matter. I apologize.

[alejo_90]

I am sorry for my sardonism, I should never have said that in that matter. I apologize.

No problem. All is forgiven !

Best wishes
Alex

[alejo_90]

BTW Contrapunctus I love your signature ! Philosophical !

Alex

[contrapunctus]

BTW Contrapunctus I love your signature ! Philosophical !

Alex

Thank you. (and, BTW, I ripped it off a bumper sticker)

But, I completely believe it.

[da jake]

According to economist Steven Levitt, we should also smile that some mothers didn't choose life. Crime rate plummeted a decade and a half after the legalization of abortion...unwanted kids are more likely to cause crimes!

[contrapunctus]

According to economist Steven Levitt, we should also smile that some mothers didn't choose life. Crime rate plummeted a decade and a half after the legalization of abortion...unwanted kids are more likely to cause crimes!

And we also lost the next beethoven or next great leader of human civilization because of abortion. Also, statistical numbers are not considered facts by statisticians.
A species that kills its own young cannot survive.