i just want to support the Alkan lovers... I actually have turned to Alkan after ages listnening to Rachmaninov - Rachmaninov gets predictable after listening to his style and there are no moments of absolute fire that ocurr numerous times in Alkan... Alkan has some parts that are just pure genious and seriously makes me want to do nothing but learn the piano so i can play it. Rach 3 is also fantastic, but not got that edge that Alkan did.
I absolutely love Rach and am one of his greatest admirers - I would say that his input to music would be equal to that of Alkans. I would agree that a lot of alkan's (much more than rachmaninoff's) is awful music, well not awful but not worth playing particularly, but his Op. 33, 35, 39, 76 and some earlier little sets of etudes are incredible... much more worthy than their status would appear to be...
Tom
Oh and if you are playing Alkan, especially solo concerto, after 1 year then I seriously think that you would be the best pianist in the world. I don't even think that Hamelin, forgive me if I am wrong if you see this, started to learn Alkan within 2 years of learning piano.
Sorry but i don't believe you, unless of course you are a famous concert pianist - are you? Im sure you'd have been in teh papers and news...