I am extremely familiar with just about everything Alkan wrote, seeing as how he is my favorite piano composer. Le Festin d'Esope is a very interesting piece, impressive to say the least, but it clashes with the rest of the program and doesn't really bring anything to the table. Comme Le Vent happens to be a personal favorite and is somewhat of the "precision" piece in my recital. If I were going to switch it out for something else by Alkan, I would definitely use Le Preux anyway, which, believe it or not, is even more showy than Le Festin d'Esope. I really just happen to like Comme le Vent a lot. Ouverture is not really on the same level of difficulty as a lot of Alkan's other works, and isn't really a short piece either. Originally, Ouverture was meant to be played with either the Symphonie or Solo Concerto that are also in the Etudes Op. 39, I think. Also, as far as Le Festin d'Esope goes, you may have noticed that there really isn't a lot of very heavy music in my program. Most of Alkan's music is basically just extremely loud, and I'm not saying that is necissarily bad, but Rachmaninov's Etude Tableaux Op. 39 No. 6 and 9 and parts of the Nutcracker are already taking the spot of that type of music, and any more would be just too exhausting. I prefer lighter and flightier music.
Comme Le Vent may not be the absolutely perfect choice, but I really like it and am very comfortable with it.
Also, I'm going to drop Fantasia Baetica and Un Sospiro. Well, you take a look at the changes I'm making.
Audition Round:
Beethoven Sonata No. 21 "Waldstein" Movement 1
Chopin Etudes Op. 25 No. 6
Chopin Etudes Op. 25 No. 11
Rachmaninov Etudes Tableaux Op. 39 No. 9
Those two Chopin Etudes I am really good at, and they are just about the only ones. The Chopin Etudes do MUCH MUCH better at getting people into the Recital Round, and I want to use Mazeppa in the Recital Round itself. Also, since apparently Comme Le Vent isn't a super great pick, I'll use the Rach etude. It has a 100% rate of getting through to the next round, but it was only used in an Audition Round once, so that isn't necissarily reliable. (Is it just me or did I say the word "round" a lot?)
Recital Round:
Liszt Transcendental Etudes Nos. 2, 4, 6, and 12
Rzewski North American Ballad No. 4 "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues"
Alkan Comme Le Vent
Prokofiev Toccata Op. 11
Bowen Toccata Op. 155
Babajanian Poem for Piano
Rachmaninov Etudes Tableaux Op. 39 Nos. 1, 6, 8, and 9
Tchaikovsky-Pletnev Concert Suite from the Ballet "Nutcracker"
I like this alot. I might even stick with it.
Let's take it to a vote. Who thinks I should play Comme Le Vent, and who thinks i should play Le Preux? I don't have room for Le Festin d'Esope, but I could squeeze Le Preux in. You can get midis for both of them off of
https://classicalmusicarchives.com