Alkan's Esquisses, Op.63, are 48 miniatures, some barely a page long, arranged to pass through all major and minor keys twice, showcasing astonishing fecundity of ideas.
Compositional Technique
The final Mouvement semblable et perpétuel (Rondo-Toccata) from Alkan's 3 Grandes Études is a vigorous toccata where the two hands are 'locked together in desperate unison for nearly five hundred bars'.
Composer Biography
Charles-Valentin Alkan, the composer, returned to the concert platform in 1844 after a six-year absence, performing some of his latest compositions.
Compositional Technique
Alkan's Sonatine pour piano in A minor, Op.61, is described as 'vehement, droll, gargoyle-like, childlike and naïve' by Sorabji, almost as if Berlioz had written a Beethoven sonata.
Critical Reception
The celebrated critic François-Joseph Fétis reviewed Alkan's 25 Preludes, noting the 'Oriental' character of Prelude No.6 in G minor.
Recording & Production
This album features Andrew Yiangou on piano and was recorded at Wyastone Concert Hall in Monmouthshire, Wales, in February 2025.
Compositional Technique
Alkan's Op.39, Douze Études dans tous les tons mineurs, is considered a masterpiece, incorporating a four-movement symphony and a three-movement concerto, both for solo piano.
You might also enjoy...
Stephen Hough's French Album
The Stephen Hough Piano Collection
Piano Recital: Stott, Kathryn - Shostakovich, D. / Ginastera, A. / Bartok, B. / Dvorak, A. / Tchaikovsky, P.I. / Sibelius, J. (Dance)
Scriabin - Nuances
Alkan: 12 Etudes, Op.39
Busoni: Late Piano Music
Summertime
Europolis
Kaleidoscope – The Ultimate Virtuoso Encores for Piano
