Alkan was a close friend of Frédéric Chopin, who became his next-door neighbor in the fashionable Square d'Orléans in 1842.
Performer Biography
Mark Viner, the pianist on this album, is known for his exploration of lesser-known piano literature and won 1st prize at the Alkan-Zimmerman International Piano Competition in 2012.
Composer Biography
Alkan withdrew into reclusion for about twenty years after 1853, during which time he composed much of his finest music and translated the entire Bible into French.
Recording & Production
This album is part of Mark Viner's complete survey of Alkan's piano music, which is the first of its kind and is expected to include around 18 albums.
Composer Biography
Charles-Valentin Alkan, born in Paris in 1813, was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire at age six and won numerous prizes, including first prize for piano in 1824.
Compositional Technique
Alkan's compositional output includes some of the most extraordinary music for piano, such as his monumental Douze Etudes dans tous les tons mineurs, Op.39, which runs to 277 pages.
Composer Biography
Alkan's death in 1888 was long rumored to have been caused by a falling bookcase, a myth that has only recently been debunked.
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