Although Alkan's Esquisses Op 63 appeared in 1861, some individual pieces, like Délire, were composed much earlier, with one version dating back to October 1847.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alkan's music often features a 'radically experimental aspect,' with compositional choices that can sound 'frankly odd' and require a receptive listener.
Performer Biography
Steven Osborne, the pianist on this album, won first prize in the prestigious Clara Haskil Competition in 1991 and the Naumburg International Competition in New York in 1997.
Compositional Technique
Alkan's Esquisses Op 63 consists of 48 pieces, divided into four books, which systematically explore the entire range of keys twice, using different schemes.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alkan's music can foreshadow the Expressionist world of Mussorgsky or the elliptical harmonic language of late Liszt, despite also referencing earlier Baroque masters like Rameau and Couperin.
Composer Biography
Alkan was a close friend of Chopin and George Sand, as well as Bizet and Manet.
Composer Biography
Charles-Valentin Alkan, whose real name was Morhange, adopted his father's first name early in his career.
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