Please listen to the OTHER tracks in this CD as well.
V. Vo | Los Angeles, CA USA | 05/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even though the highlight of this CD is the Symphony for Solo Piano, I think the supporting tracks are the real reason why I would recommend this CD. They are all titled in very bizarre names, and I'm afraid most listeners would listen to them once and put them away for good. Here's a brief rundown of the supporting tracks:"Salut, cendre du pauvre" - tough to categorize this work with any other composer. It's not as dramatic as most of the works in this CD. If Beethoven's 6th symphony brought the listener closer to nature, I guess that would be a similar reasoning with this work."Alleuia" - short work, the name says it all. The least interesting recording in the CD."Super flumina Babylonia" - a very interesting, dramatic work. I somehow find this work similar to a Bach keyboard toccata. It has a very interesting fugue in the middle and I just wished Alkan would've developed it longer considering it goes back to the original slow theme before it really has a chance to take off. "Aime moi" - This is the highlight of the CD. This work has as much emotional range as any of the great Chopin Ballades. The main theme is one of the most beautiful music that I ever heard. Hamelin really brings a sense of longing to this work. Arthur Rubinstein would've been proud of this recording."Le Vent" - Very similar to the effect that Chopin brought to the op. 25 no. 12 etude, also known as the "Ocean Etude." Very interesting, but the main theme doesn't really develop into anything... but neither did Chopin and his work."Morte" - Take Chopin's great Polonaise-fantaisie in Aflat-major.... and instead of the dreamlike motif, substitute it with the Dies Irae theme. This is a truly great work and Hamelin does a wonderful job assimilating all the different moments."
The greatest CD I've bought in years
Hexameron | 04/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ask most classical music fans about Charles-Valentin Alkan and they'll most likely have no clue what to say. I always assumed, after seeing his name in various books, that he was either an obscure opera composer or a twentieth century atonal experimenter. This mindset changed when I happened to come across this CD on the Hyperion website. I learned who Alkan really was, and being the Lisztian and Chopinite I am, I bought this instantly without even listening to a sample track. This has been the most fortunate gamble I've ever taken; the other passionate and eloquent reviews here pretty much confirm that I was right to plunge myself into Alkan.
For those new to Alkan, this is probably the best place to start. Although, after my own first hearing of this CD, I immediately ordered every Alkan CD on the Naxos label and found the Op. 35 Etudes an essential showcase for Alkan's unbelievable genius. It's hard to believe that this obscure hermit who lived next to Chopin was composing such original and extraordinary music. A beginner to Alkan's music might sense a fusion between the styles of Chopin and Liszt, with a spice of Schumann and a tinge of Rachmaninov, if that's possible. Alkan possesses all the faculties for creating gorgeous and beautiful melodies; indeed, he holds his own with Chopin in that area. But Alkan's renowned for composing demonic works with monstrous technical passages that stretch the limits of the piano. While this reputation tends to overshadow his musicality and Beethovenian depth of expression, Alkan is frankly successful with writing tour-de-force compositions. He does it better than Liszt himself, as exemplified by the menacing crashes of the Symphony for Solo Piano and the violent coda of Morte from the Op. 15.
The Symphony for Solo Piano is a masterpiece in my book. I've heard countless large-scale piano works and I must say nothing has ever made such an impression on me as this portion of the Op. 39. With Classical structure and Romantic furor, the work rivals any contemporary Sonata from Chopin, Schumann or even Brahms for that matter. To quote Francois Luguenot, "The structure of the piece is as perfect, and its proportions as harmonious, as those of a movement in a symphony by Mendelssohn, but the whole is dominated by a deeply passionate mood." Indeed, whether in the brooding first Allegro movement, the satirically gloomy funeral march, or the tempestuous Menuet, one can easily see that this work is a monumental tapestry of music. There is a comforting but mind-blowing range of expression in this masterpiece. If devilish torrents of pianism appeal to you, I guarantee the Finale, a "ride in hell" as Raymond Lewenthal aptly said, will tingle your spine and keep the blood pumping.
After listening to this recording dozens of times, I'm convinced the highlight of the CD is actually the Souvenirs: Trois Morceaux dans le genre pathetique Op. 15. Although harshly criticized by Schumann, I've never heard better works of their kind, whether from Chopin, Liszt, Henselt, or Rubinstein. This Op. 15 is a trinity of towering, gushing Romantic piano compositions. The first, Aime-moi, is astonishing in its scope, expressive ideas, and utter transcendence. Hamelin reveals a breathtaking degree of interpretative clairvoyance here. Even more tremendous is the simple but profound "Le vent," a heart-wrenching and melancholy excursion that defies the sonorities of the piano. To quote Liszt, "'Le vent' is the most Romantic of the three...One can almost hear the rain trickling down the oak trees' trunks, and, in great reverence, one can listen to the tune which floats above all these subdued murmurings, like the song of the lover or the poet as he looks upon Nature's sorrow yet without feeling that sadness in himself because he holds in his heart the gentle glow of a memory or a hope." Concluding this trio of jewels, Morte explores a dark abyss of sound, generating a level of pathos and fury unlike anything I've heard. The sinister "Dies Irae" opening leads to a lamenting and morbid development, replete with beautifully somber phrases and violent outbursts. Morte's underlying dark beauty and intensity shares a plateau with Beethoven's own Funeral Marches, in my view.
The three pieces that separate the Symphony for Solo Piano and the Op. 15 are equally impressive, as well. "Salut, cendre du pauvre!" is satisfyingly enchanting, dark, and pensive. Likewise, the "Super flumina Babylonis" proves to be just as engrossing, with memorable and intelligent ideas. Some other reviewers have spoken unkindly towards the glorious "Alleluia," but I don't believe it's as superficial as some have labeled it: Alkan's sense of replicating the organ's textures into the piano's registers, and the sheer majestic effect of a chorus, are all inherent in this brief but ecstatic work.
Bottom line: Those with an affinity for Liszt and Romantic piano will almost automatically love this music. The impact of hearing this magnificent but neglected music is like that of discovering fire by accident. It's one of the best CD's I've purchased in years; the performance of the extraordinary and god-like pianist, Marc-Andre Hamelin, is a triumph. I implore the reader to buy this right now and discover the stupendous music of Alkan."
