Allgén: Fantasia

[gep]

I just finished listening again to Claude Loyola Allgén's Fantasia for Piano, played by Mats Perrson. Anyone know this piece too? It's a truly amazing piece of relentless virtuosity, leaving one gasping after it ends after 55minutes or so. Sounds like what you could get if you took equal parts Sorabji and Nancarrow, add a pinch of Gershwin on acid and shook well. here's a link to the CD's site:
https://www.alice-musik.se/frameset.html

Truly Allgén is an amazing voice heard far too little. I know only two other pieces; String Quartet no. 2 (IORE Quartet) and the Sonata for Solo Violin (Ulf Wallin on BIS and Joar Skorpen on NOSAG; the latter taking an hour less to play the piece!). If anyone know more CDs, please do tell, for I want to hear more of this exceptional composer (such as his other 6 String Quartets...).

The Fantasia would be an ideal piece for people like Marc-André Hamelin, or Jonathan Powell; the latter could play it in a program with Sorabji's Fantasia Ispanica after the break (both pieces use some interesting dance rhythms, such as the Habanera), as to play something more relaxed and relaxing(!) after Allgén..

If anyone alse know this Fantasie, or other pieces by Allgén, please do share your thoughts!

All best,
gep

[stevebob]

I'm always appreciative when an unfamiliar composer is brought to my attention, so thank you!  I admit I had never heard of Allgén before; I found even his name intriguing, as I wasn't able to guess his nationality from it.

Though there's no English-language Wikipedia article about Allgén, I did find a couple of very interesting essays:

Between ecstasy and asceticism — a portrait of Claude Loyola Allgén by Mats Persson

Allgén and the heavenly by Magnus Haglund