Charles-Valentin Alkan Edition (FLAC)

Composer: Charles-Valentin Alkan
Number of Discs: 13
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Brilliant Classics
Catalogue: 95568
Release: 2017
Size: 2.8 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
12 Études dans tous les tons mineurs, Op. 39
01. I. Comme le vent, prestissimamente in A Minor
02. II. En rhythme molossique, risoluto in D Minor
03. III. Scherzo diabolico, prestissimo in G Minor
04. IV. Allegro moderato in C Minor
05. V. Marche funèbre. Andantino in F Minor
06. VI. Menuet in B-Flat Minor
07. VII. Finale. Presto in E-Flat Minor

3 Morceaux dans le genre pathétique, Op. 15
08. I. Aime-moi
09. II. Le vent
10. III. Morte

CD 02
12 Études dans tous les tons mineurs Op. 39
01. VIII. Allegro assai in G-Sharp Minor
02. IX. Adagio in C-Sharp Minor
03. X. Allegretto alla barbaresca in F-Sharp Minor
04. XI. Ouverture. Maestoso in B Minor
05. XII. Le festin d’Ésope. Allegretto senza licenza quantunque in E Minor

CD 03
Grande Sonate “les quatre âges”, Op. 33
01. I. 20 ans – Scherzo. Très vite, décidément
02. II. 30 ans, quasi-Faust – Assez vite, sataniquement
03. III. 40 ans, un heureux ménage – Lentement, avec tendresse et quiétitude
04. IV. 50 ans, prométhée enchaîné – Extrêmement lent

Sonatine in A Minor, Op. 61
05. I. Allegro vivace
06. II. Allegramente
07. III. Scherzo–menuetto
08. IV. Tempo giusto

3 Grandes Études, Op. 76
09. III. Mouvement semblable et perpétuel

CD 04
01. Étude No. 1 in A Major, Op. 35
02. Étude No. 2 in D Major, Op. 35
03. Étude No. 3 in G Major, Op. 35
04. Étude No. 4 in C Major, Op. 35
05. Étude No. 5 in F Major, Op. 35. Allegro barbaro
06. Étude No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 35
07. Étude No. 7 in E-Flat Major, Op. 35. L’Incendie au village voisin
08. Étude No. 8 in A-Flat Major, Op. 35
09. Étude No. 9 in C-Sharp Major, Op. 35. Contrapunctus
10. Étude No. 10 in G-Flat Major, Op. 35. Chant d’amour – Chant de mort
11. Étude No. 11 in B Major, Op. 35
12. Étude No. 12 in E Major, Op. 35

CD 05
Esquisses Op.63
01. I. La vision
02. II. Le staccatissimo
03. III. Le legatissimo
04. IV. Les cloches
05. V. Les initiés
06. VI. Fuguette
07. VII. Le frisson
08. VIII. Pseudo-naïveté
09. IX. Confidence
10. X. Increpatio
11. XI. Les soupirs
12. XII. Barcarollette
13. XIII. Ressouvenir
14. XIV. Duettino
15. XV. Tutti de concerto dans le genre ancient
16. XVI. Fantaisie
17. XVII. Petit prélude a 3
18. XVIII. Liedchen
19. XIX. Grâces
20. XX. Petite marche villageoise
21. XXI. Morituri te salutant
22. XXII. Innocenza
23. XXIII. L’Homme aux sabots
24. XXIV. Contredanse
25. XXV. La poursuite
26. XXVI. Petit air
27. XXVII. Rigaudon
28. XXVIII. Inflexibilité
29. XXIX. Délire
30. XXX. Petit air dolent
31. XXXI. Debut de quatuor
32. XXXII. Minuettino
33. XXXIII. Fais dodo
34. XXXIV. Odi profanum vulgus et arceo
35. XXXV. Musique militaire
36. XXXVI. Toccatina
37. XXXVII. Scherzettino
38. XXXVIII. Les bons souhaits
39. XXXIX. Heraclite et democrite
40. XL.Attendez-moi sous l’orme
41. XLI. Les enharmoniques
42. XLII. Petit air
43. XLIII. Notturnino Innamorato
44. XLIV. Transports
45. XLV. Les diablotins
46. XLVI. Le premier billet doux
47. XLVII. Scherzetto
48. XLVIII. En songe
49. XLIX. Laus deo

CD 06
25 Préludes, Op. 31
01. I. Lentement
02. II. Assez lentement
03. III. Dans le genre ancient. Très lentement
04. IV. Prière du soir. Assez lentement
05. V. Psaume 150me. Avec enthousiasme
06. VI. Ancienne mélodie de la synagogue. Andante flebile
07. VII. Librement mais sans secousses
08. VIII. La Chanson de la folle au bord de la mer. Lentement
09. IX. Placiditas. Tranquillement
10. X. Dans le style fugue. Très vite
11. XI. Un petit rien. Assez vite
12. XII. Le temps qui n’est plus. Andante
13. XIII. J’étais endormie, mais mon coeur veillait… (Cantique des cantiques 5:2). Lentement
14. XIV. Rapidement
15. XV. Dans le genre gothique. Assez vite et avec beaucoup de grâce
16. XVI. Assez lentement
17. XVII. Rêve d’amour. Assez vite
18. XVIII. Romance. Sans trop de movement
19. XIX. Prière du matin. Vite
20. XX. Modérément vite et bien caracterisé
21. XXI. Doucement
22. XXII. Anniversaire. Assez lentement
23. XXIII. Assez vite
24. XXIV. Étude de velocité. Prestissimo
25. XXV. Prière. Lentement

CD 07
1er Recueil d’impromptus, Op. 32
01. I. Vaghezza
02. II. L’Amitié
03. III. Fantasietta alla moresca
04. IV. La foi

2e Recueil d’impromptus, Op. 32
05. I. Andantino
06. II. Mesto, allegretto
07. III. Vivace
08. IV. Andante flebile

09. Salut, cendre du pauvre! Op. 45
10. Alleluia in F Major, Op. 25
11. Rondeau chromatique, Op. 12
12. Variations sur un thème de Steibelt in E Major, Op. 1
13. Super flumina Babylonis, paraphrase du psaume 137 in G Minor, Op. 52

CD 08
01. Nocturne in B Major, Op. 22
02. Toccatina, Op. 75

Chants, Op. 38a
03. I. Assez vivement
04. V. Agitatissimo
05. VI. Barcarolle

3 Grandes Études, Op. 76
06. I. Fantaisie in A-Flat Major
07. II. Introduction, variations et finale in D Major
08. III. Mouvement semblable et perpetual in C Minor

2 Petites pieces, Op. 60
09. I. Ma chère liberté

2 Petites pieces, Op. 60
10. II. Ma chère servitude

CD 09
3 Petites fantaisies, Op. 41
01. I. Assez gravement
02. II. Andantino
03. III. Presto

04. Minuetto alla tedesca in A Minor, Op. 46
05. Marche funèbre, Op. 26
06. Marche triomphale, Op. 27

Petits préludes sur les 8 gammes du plain-chant
07. VI. Poco lento

08. Capriccio alla soldatesca, Op. 50
09. Le tambour bat aux champs. Op. 50bis

25 Preludes, Op. 31
10. VIII. La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer. Lentement in A-Flat Minor

Esquisses, Op. 63
11. XLIX. Laus deo

CD 10
Trois menuets, Op. 51
01. I. Tempo giusto in E-Flat Major
02. II. Tempo debole in G Minor
03. III. Tempo nobile in G Major

Une fusée in D Minor, Op. 55
04. I. Introduction et impromptu

05. 2e Nocturne in B minor, Op. 57
06. 3e Nocturne in F-Sharp Major, Op. 57

Sonatine in A Minor, Op. 61
07. I. Allegro vivace
08. II. Allegramente
09. III. Scherzo–Minuetto
10. IV. Tempo giusto

Les mois, Op. 74
11. I. Une nuit d’hiver
12. X. Gros temps
13. XII. L’Opéra

Recueil de chants, Op. 65
14. V. Horace et Lydie
15. VI. Barcarolle

Recueil de chants, Op. 67
16. II. Chanson de la bonne vieille

CD 11
Grand duo concertant in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 21
01. I. Assez animé
02. II. L’Enfer. Lentement
03. III. Finale. Aussi vite que possible

Sonate de concert in E Major, Op. 47
04. I. Allegro molto
05. II. Allegrettino
06. III. Adagio
07. IV. Finale alla saltarella. Prestissimo

Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 30
08. I. Assez largement
09. II. Très vite
10. III. Lentement
11. IV. Vite

CD 12
Concerto da camera No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 10
01. I. Allegro moderato
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Rondo. Allegro

Concerto da camera No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 10
04. I. Allegro moderato
05. II. Adagio
06. III. A tempo primo

Concerto da camera No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, Op. 10
07. I. Andante pour piano et cordes avec sourdine

3 Scherzi di bravoure, Op. 16
08. I. Mouvement de valse
09. II. Moderato
10. III. Prestissimo

11. Variations sur “Ah! segnata è la mia morte”, Op. 16 No. 4
12. Variations sur un thème de Bellini in G Major, Op. 16 No. 5
13. Variations quasi-fantaisie in B-Flat Major, Op. 16 No. 6

CD 13
13 Prières, Op. 64
01. I. Andantino
02. II. Moderato
03. III. Poco adagio
04. IV. Moderatamente
05. V. Adagio
06. VI. Moderato
07. VII. Maestoso
08. VIII. Dieu des armées. Tempo giusto
09. IX. Doucement
10. X. Assez lentement
11. XI. Andantino
12. XII. Allegretto
13. XIII. Largement et majestueusement

Petits préludes sur les 8 gammes du plain-chant
14. I. Moderato
15. II. Andantino
16. III. Tempo giusto
17. IV. Vivace
18. V. Andante quasi allegretto
19. VI. Poco lento
20. VII. Andantino
21. VIII. Moderato

22. Impromptu sur le chorale de Luther “un fort rempart est notre dieu”, Op. 69

Reclusive and eccentric, the French pianist–composer Charles-Valentin Alkan was also undoubtedly one of the greatest pianists who ever lived, and a composer who, like his friend and fellow-virtuoso Liszt, pushed the boundaries of what his instrument, and human pianism, could achieve. Again like Liszt, he composed music that was not merely flashy and difficult to play – it tapped a deep comprehension of music history and theory, a flair for the lyrical and the dramatic and of course a vast imagination.

Tackling these formidable pieces are eight pianists and one organist, along with the Trio Alkan piano trio and the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto under Roberto Foreìs-Veses, on recordings dating from 1989–2017. Alkan’s great cycles for the piano — the Études in all the minor keys (Vincenzo Maltempo), in all the major keys (Mark Viner), the Préludes in every key (Laurent Martin) – feature along side other large-scale works like the Grandes Études for hands separate and together (Alessandro Deljavan) and the Nocturnes (Alan Weiss, Costantino Mastroprimiano), as well as characterful miniatures like the Chants and Les Mois (Stanley Hoogland). Organist Kevin Bowyer demonstrates that Alkan was as much an organ prodigy as anything else, with performances of the Prières and Little Plainchant Préludes, as well as music for Alkan’s beloved pedal-piano transcribed for the organ.

A welcome and much-needed tribute to the most neglected Genius of the 19th century: Charles-Valentin Alkan.

Charles-Valentin Alkan was one of the most important pianists and piano-composers of the 19th century, although he lived the largest part of his life in obscurity and seclusion. He was a close friend of Chopin (they were neighbours in Paris) and he was the only pianist in whose presence the great Franz Liszt was nervous to play.

Alkan’s works reveal a strikingly original genius, they range from the smallest miniatures to the most colossal creations, from the bizarre to the grandiose, from the intimate to the heroic.

This Edition includes the major piano works: both cycles Studies in all the minor and major keys (Op. 39 and 35), the Grande Sonata, the Concerti da Camera, organ works and chamber music.

Played (among others) by today’s best Alkan interpreters: Giovanni Bellucci, Mark Viner and above all Vincenzo Maltempo, who received several glowing 5-star reviews for his performances: “exhilarating, a revelation!“ (Guardian, selected among the 10 best CD’s of 2012), “his playing flashes with summer lightning” (Gramophone), “Maltempo puts his phenomenal technique at the service of his poetic vision”(Piano News), “with this passionate performance Maltempo confirms his place in the restricted circle of Alkan’s best performers” (5 star, Diapason) and many more.