Alkan: Concerto for Solo Piano, Troisieme recueil de chants

I suppose Hamelin's disc of Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano may be called the pinnacle of what is surely a series that will remain a legend in the future. It has been said many times already, but Hamelin's technique is simply super-human and so are the standards he sets for Alkan playing. Not only are all the notes there (an impressive feat in itself), but Hamelin also imbues the music with an abundance of color and power and brilliance; the phrasing is beyond praise, the musical lines clear and uncluttered, the melodies fluent - and there is a forward momentum and tension that no one else could possibly come close to achieving. The piano is pushed to the limit, of course, but Hamelin is not, and the playing exudes such exuberance and vigor and vitality that it beggars belief.Alkan's concerto is one of the most remarkable and legendary unruly monsters ever composed for the instruments. It comprises movements eight, nine, and ten of the composer's Twelve Etudes in the Minor Keyes op.39 and lasts, in total, for close to 50 minutes - the first movement almost makes the half hour mark on its own. And let me repeat: nothing like this work has been created, before or after. Yes, as the "etude" epithet suggests, it is something of a vehicle for displays of brilliant virtuosity but it is also much more. Unfettered by concerns for technical limitations, Alkan creates textures and sounds found in no other piano music; the first movement is almost orchestral in its sonorities and instrumentation techniques with masses of notes being hurled around to bolster what are often lyrical, beautiful and memorable themes. There are passages of luscious beauty, atmosphere and gorgeous, glittering surfaces, heaven-storming drama and sweeping, dizzying, thrilling lines, hurtling down into the deepest abysses and soaring upwards with thousands of notes to the shimmering halo of the sun.Yes, the first movement is somewhat episodic and definitely sprawling, but intensity and momentum are nevertheless maintained (some would say relentlessly) and Hamelin addresses it not only with a brilliance unequaled in the history of piano playing, but with an expressive range and a palette of colors that have few if any equals either, technically unfazed (although in the machine-gun repeated-notes runs toward the end of the first movement even Hamelin may be pushed toward his limit). The shorter second movement is something of a reflective respite (though undoubtedly technically a formidable challenge), evoking glittering ponds in classical gardens. The playing in the "barbarous" final movement polonaise, though shorter than the first, beggars belief - Hamelin's way with the rumbles and figurations and arpeggios and hands-everywhere-on-the-piano at-once is of the kind that makes one want to laugh in disbelief, but even more importantly the movement is tossed off with genuine musicianship, fine characterization of the themes and developments (what there is of it) and changes in mood and nuances in atmosphere and texture.Hamelin has recorded the work before, though I do not know that recording and cannot really compare - the impression from other critics is that Hamelin's more recent take is more fluent and makes more musical sense of the various parts, and I certainly couldn't imagine a better account than this; not only for the breathtaking virtuosity but for the musical sense he makes of them. We also get, as a bonus, the Troisième recueil de chants, a set of six character pieces. Although they have to take backseat to the concerto, these are nevertheless beautiful works, displaying a more innocent charm and warmth than the Concerto. Hamelin dispatches them with great sensitivity and they come across as beguiling if less pretentious slices of atmosphere - less "typical" Alkan, but very well worth getting to know. To top it all the booklet notes are deeply interesting and entertaining and Hyperion's detailed sound (a little distant, but in order to capture all the notes and variety of moods and colors) is excellent. A timeless classic of a release, recommended with utmost enthusiasm.

Charles-Valentin Alkan probably holds the most uneven status of any composer in music history: Schumann saw him as mediocre and Busoni believed him the greatest piano composer next to Beethoven and Liszt. Today, Alkan is gradually becoming more recognized as a musical genius and important pianist-composer. But his music continues to be ignored by the mainstream and seems only known to connoisseurs. It's a shame, when his compositions show such unquestionable originality and sound like the best elements of Chopin and Liszt. However, with the help of Marc-Andre Hamelin, I think we may be experiencing an Alkan Renaissance. Hamelin has probably contributed more to Alkan's posthumous legacy than even Ronald Smith. Thanks to Hamelin, the Alkan discography has been fattened immeasurably. But beyond that, Hamelin is one of the only few who can bring out the best of Alkan's unique music.For those unfamiliar with Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano, Ronald Smith notes that "it has been described as the nineteenth century's answer to Bach's Italian Concerto. In both works a single player is invited to imitate the impression of solo and massed forces. But the Alkan is on a colossal scale; an isolated masterpiece which cannot be sensibly compared with any other work..." Hamelin has arguably catapulted this work into the spotlight, though I must confess that I absolutely loathed his first recording of it ( Charles-Valentin Alkan: Concerto For Solo Piano ). I was disappointed with Hamelin's lack of legato touch in nearly every measure, the unyielding overly fast tempo, and, to my ears, an absence of emotional involvement.With this latest recording on Hyperion, however, Hamelin has cleaned all of the stains, sealed the cracks, and revamped his entire delivery. The only thing Hamelin didn't alter is his preferred tempo: really fast. After comparative listenings between both recordings, I was pleasantly stunned to find Hamelin's new interpretation showing far greater vision and musicianship than he ever achieved. The first gigantic movement, for instance, is more energized and lush, more dynamically contrasting and passionate. Hamelin's fast tempo now seems like a valid interpretative approach rather than a fault. Personally, I think Jack Gibbons's "Adagio" is on a higher plane, but Hamelin improves himself here, too; he lets Alkan's music brood and storm and never glazes over important moments. The third "Allegretto alla barbaresca" movement is a hair-raising and explosive thrillride. Hamelin's treatment of the torrential maelstrom of notes is less mechanical and more expressive. He succeeds in conveying Alkan's piquant and grandiose ideas, in addition to the sheer power of it all. Simply put, Hamelin's new performance of this "Frankenstein's monster" is in every facet superior to his original recording.Alkan's "Troisiéme recueil de chants Op. 65" makes an extremely odd companion for the mammoth Concerto. The music is less ambitious and magnificent, but no less communicative. To my knowledge, the first four pieces of this set have never been recorded before. Smith calls the second, "Esprits follets" or "Goblins" "a kind of supersonic Mendelssohn scherzo." Those familiar with Alkan's music may recognize melodic similarities between this piece and the first movement of the Sonatine. The "Tempo giusto" recalls Schumann's sound world except for the frenetic ending, a blatant stamp of Alkan's style. "Horace et Lydie" is a rather intricate conception. It is apparently music set to an ancient text of dialogues in which each speaker must answer each other with an identically sized line or stanza. According to Smith, "Alkan follows the scheme meticulously. He switches registers between the stanzas and sets the first pair in the Dorian and the second in the Phrygian modes." Alkan's last number of the set, the "Barcarolle," is his famous miniature, and although Hamelin has recorded this before, I'm always impressed with his well-paced and haunting performance.Bottom line: In my opinion, Jack Gibbons's recording of the Concerto for Solo Piano is still the benchmark. I would actually encourage those interested in Alkan, who have not yet heard the Concerto, to start there ( Alkan: 12 Études, Op. 39 ). But I cannot deny the value of Hamelin's new recording and decidedly better performance of the Concerto. A parting message from Humphrey Searle: "Certainly no student of the extraordinary development of the piano and piano playing that took place in the last century should fail to know Alkan's work--know it intimately, and observe the important place he fills."

I had roughly 900 classical cds of all the greats before I picked up this gem of a cd. I don't know why it escaped my ears but no more. This music is fast, making Chopin seem like Debussy well maybe not that fast, but it had charm also. Many catchy bars of voracious piano music, just astounding technical brilliance, I fell in love with it after a few minutes. Hamelin does an awesome job as far as I can tell, not being a musician just a lover of classical music.It is astounding that the human brain and heart can conjour up this magnificent workmanship. Please if you own nothing of this composer buy this you won't be dissapointed, unless you prefer Debussy and nothing else. Great sound quality for you audiophiles also.

This beautiful music must not be forgotten.

This is certainly one of the most difficult piano pieces to interpret. It requires a superb technique and also a deep understanding of the structure of the whole piece to bring it up.Hamelin plays it with apparent ease and uncovers all the beauty of the music.The recording is excellent to top it. In sum, a CD to be cherished.

Alkan + Hamelin--always perfection

amazing music and performance

Great selections

As a young man, Alkan was popular with Paris’s salon set, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Victor Hugo, George Sand, Chopin and Liszt, but he withdrew from public performance in 1849.Alkan was one of the great virtuoso pianist-composers and his keyboard works must be among the most difficult ever written - even Liszt admitted as much. But this ‘Berlioz of the piano’ disappeared from the repertoire until fairly recently, when some of the most accomplished pianists brought the music back into the public domain.Alkan’s Concerto for solo piano (movements eight, nine, and ten of the composer’s Twelve Etudes in the Minor Keys Op. 39) has long been a major staple of Marc-André Hamelin’s concert repertoire.The work features progressive tonality, beginning in G♯ minor and ending in F♯ major; this is a consequence of the piece being three consecutive elements of the cycle of 12 études, each of which is in a key a perfect fourth higher than its predecessor.Hyperion includes generous filler in the form of the Troisième recueil de chants, a suite of six character pieces. Their unpretentious melodic charm evokes Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words.

Per chi voglia sentire cosa le mani di un essere umano possano fare con un pianoforte, la Op. 39 di Alkan e Marc-Andre' Hamelin sono un riferimento assoluto. Non ci aspetti la poesia di Chopin o la musicalita' di Listz, ma qualcosa per cui mancano parole. Forse I Capricci di Paganini si avvicinano, ma la potenza sonora ed allo stesso tempo il dettaglio che Hamelin e' incredibilmente capace di esprimere sono, direi, diabolici.

引っ越しのために処分してしまったCDをまた聞きたくなって購入しました。この「アルカンのピアノ独奏のための協奏曲」はこのCDと、アムラン自身がアーツレコードに居たときに最初に録音した物と、ジョン・オグドンがフィリップスでの録音した物が有名と思います。アーツ版はアムランが若いときに録音した物で勢いがあります。今回購入した彼（アムラン）がハイペリオンに移ってから録音した物は音楽が構築されているという感じがいたします。実際に聞き比べて頂ければわかると思いますが演奏の設計が良いです。ジョン・オグドンの演奏も侮れません。とても打鍵がしっかりとした演奏です。今でも入手出来ると思います。少し迷いましたが、アムランが好きな事と、以前この３枚をじっくり聞き比べて最終的にこのCDが一番好きだったのでこのCDにいたしました。久しぶりに聞いて大変満足しております。

Les trois CDs du compositeur Charles Valentin Alkan interprétés par le plus grand pianiste vivant constituent le summum de son oeuvre. Hamelin se spécialise dans les pianistes-compositeurs obscurs aux oeuvres particulièrement complexes dont il est l'un des très rares pianistes parvenant à les interpréter. Hamelin, grâce à sa formidable technique au clavier, m'a fait découvrir trois compositeurs ayant une oeuvre pianistique impressionante: Alkan, Godowsky et Medtner. Leurs oeuvres interprétées par Hamelin sont d'une richesse et d'une complexité spectaculaires. Ajoutons que les enregistrements d'Hyperion sont d'une insurpassable qualité. Pour les amateurs de piano classique souhaitant s'éloigner un peu des sentiers battus...

Il s'agit ici vraiment d'un disque qui mérite amplement son prix en tant que diapason d'or.Tant au niveau de l'intérêt de l'oeuvre, que de l'interprétation, que de l'indéniable qualité de l'enregistrement vraiment audiophile, vous pouvez acheter ce CD les yeux fermés en toute confiance : vous serez comblé. C'est une merveille.Cordialement