Alkan & Henselt: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 7)

Featuring

Marc-André Hamelin
Martyn Brabbins
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Adolf von Henselt
Charles Valentin Alkan

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Composition History

Many of the works on this album are receiving their first recordings or first performances in their original forms in over a century.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Both Henselt and Alkan, though overshadowed by Liszt and Chopin, had individual and idiosyncratic approaches to the piano.

Composer Biography

Adolf von Henselt and Charles-Valentin Alkan, the composers on this album, were born six months apart and died within eighteen months of each other.

Historical Context

Henselt, as Court Pianist and Inspector General of royal musical institutions in Russia, profoundly influenced Russian piano playing for over a quarter-century.

Compositional Technique

Henselt's piano technique, featuring large extensions and stretches, influenced later composers and pianists like Balakirev, Lyapunov, Scriabin, and Rachmaninov.

Composer Biography

Henselt and Alkan were recluses who rarely performed their own works in public, and both were considered eccentric in their personal lives.

Recording & Production

This album features Marc-André Hamelin, a pianist known for his active interest in little-known repertoire, and his recordings of composers like Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji.