Happy Birthday Alkan

[opus10no2]

193 years old today

I'm wondering what celebrations, and what level of fame his music will have achieved by his 200th birthday.

Aside from this, which are your favourite Alkan pieces? and how do you think they hold up against the other great, more well known works in the piano literature.

[jre58591]

the whole of op 39, the sonata, and sonatine are my favorite pieces by alkan. i think the op 39 etudes are some of the best pieces in al; the romantic literature. if more people knew about alkan, i can guarantee that he would have more fame.

[jakev2.0]

Yay!! Happy birthday Monsieur Alkan.

Yep, I think that we are witnessing a resurgence in interest in Alkan's music. I don't think it's far fetched to think that his 200th birthday will be celebrated - or at least mentioned - on some television and radio stations around the world.

Le Festin D'Esope in my opinion is one of the two greatest  sets of theme and variations for the piano of the 19th century (the other is the Mendelssohn Variations Serieuses). This piece has secured Alkan's immortality, as Islamey did for Balakirev. Of course, like Balakirev, Alkan wrote some other very good music other than this one 'crowd-killer'. 'Le Festin' is absolutely unique within the context in which it was written...so it doesn't stand up to anything, it stands ALONE as a monument to Alkan's creativity.

The first movement of the Symphony for Solo Piano (Opus 39/4) is also a perfect masterpiece.  To be honest, although impressive, the second and third movements of the Symphony are not on the same level of inspiration as the first, whereas the "ride in hell" 4th movement is along the same level as the first movement in term of Alkan creative insanity. So as a whole I'd say that the Alkan Symphony is maybe a bit weaker than something like the Chopin B-Flat minor Sonata as a concert piece, but the first movement of the Alkan is superior to the first movement of the Chopin. The finale of the Alkan stacks up fairly well to the finale of the Chopin B minor.

I have some reservations about the Opus 33 Sonata. The 2nd movement, 'Quasi-Faust' is a quite remarkable stand-alone concert piece whereas the 1st and 4th movements, in my opinion, can't really be programmed into a recital effectively. 

The Trois Grandes Etudes opus 76. are weird but wonderful pieces.  I think that they are a bit difficult to judge due to a lack of interpretations available on the market.

The Alkan Grande Duo Concertante is Alkan's best chamber works, and compares well to something like the Chopin Cello Sonata.

Some Esquisses, Le Tambour, and a few of the Preludes are seriously good miniatures that are well worth exploring. As Lewenthal said, Alkan foreshadows, Mahler, Bruckner and bridges the gap between Schumann and Debussy. I'd say that he also foreshadows people like Scriabin (Les Soupirs) and Prokofiev.
 
...there is so much to talk about!

[Mozartian]

Well, considering he's somewhat dead, it's his unbirthday, right?

..Happy unBirthday, Alkan!

[jre58591]

Well, considering he's somewhat dead, it's his unbirthday, right?

..Happy unBirthday, Alkan!

you just had to spoil this fun, didnt you?

[mephisto]

There is nothing wrong about the 1st mwt of the Sonata! The Sonata is sort of a programatic piece. The 1st mwt is supposed to be about a man in his best age. So naturaly the piece is fun, and a bit romantic too. And amazingly exiting so the sonata ona  hole is superb.

But imo there is no reason in saying who is best between the romantic composers, but Alkan is certainly among them.

[Mozartian]

you just had to spoil this fun, didnt you?

[jakev2.0]

Hahahah...respect. 

Btw, like your signature. 

[imbetter]

Happy birthday Alkan!

[a1]

  Happy Birthday, Alkan!
   Someone should plays the birthday songggggg............

[burstroman]

His Sonatina is one of the very best in that genre among the romantics.  His Esquisses deserve to be better known.