alkan awesome

[swagmaster420x]

this piece is crazy in an awesome way. alkan did pretty much everything possible with that regal sounding theme. i like it a lot. monstrously difficult though, even the insane hamelin seemed to be struggling at 3:20 on for a bit    :O

[faulty_damper]

What's the piece?

[swagmaster420x]

it's in the video title. le festin d'esope i thihnk

[faulty_damper]

I didn't click the link because my connection is slow.  That's why I asked.

But Hamelin takes the tempo too fast in certain sections which ruins the musical effect.  E.g. the "chompin" section is hilarious and I broke out LOL the first time I heard it (played by Ronald Smith.)  There's no humor when Hamelin played it.

[chicoscalco]

I didn't click the link because my connection is slow.  That's why I asked.

But Hamelin takes the tempo too fast in certain sections which ruins the musical effect.  E.g. the "chompin" section is hilarious and I broke out LOL the first time I heard it (played by Ronald Smith.)  There's no humor when Hamelin played it.

Exactly. He's bland. Even when he's playing virtuoso passages, that are supposed to sound exhilarating, it just sounds... I dunno, boring I guess. Take a look at Volodos, for example. He has a technique as godly as Hamelin, but his is coupled with an immense imagination. It makes for a complete different musician. 

[orangesodaking]

Hmm... I feel like Hamelin actually is at his best playing quirky music like this. I love his recording of Le Festin d'Esope. Raymond Lewenthal, Ronald Smith, Michael Ponti, and Igor Roma all also go a bit faster than Alkan's tempo marking. But I think that Hamelin's wit and sense of humor combined with his inhuman pianistic ability all make this piece work really well.

Also, he does well in miniatures of Alkan's. Check this out: