Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Alkan E-cital?

Awesome! I'll contribute the Alkan pieces of my programme. I'll have the honour of playing these in a church in Paris this year maybe i can even use the live recordings, if there's not too much reverb (and i don't screw up :D)

Troisième recueil de chants Op. 65 - II. Esprits follets, prestissimo
Troisième recueil de chants Op. 65 ; III. Canon
Troisième recueil de chants Op. 65 ; V. Horace et Lydie

(Hamelin added the set to his 2007 Alkan Concerto CD, it's really a gem)

by the way, No. 6 in the set is the Barcarolle in G

Great, thanks Sorcerer! I edited the most recent list to add you in.

Yes please.

Great! Edited the post above with the program.

Will anyone play Festin d'Esope?

Do you want to?

Unfortunately, it's far above my actual skills
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB8FiGSwrNU

I recorded it 7 years before going on two months holidays so that's why it remained unfinished. SInce then I didn't record anything.

OrangeSodaKing,
Good news: Petites Fantaisies op 41 nr 1 (assez gravement)
so you can add me to the e-cital

There are still two left from this op. 41 if anybody interested

If anybody has a better score than is on the IMSLP please let mi know, that one is horrible to read.

And - I have probably all Alkan piano sheet music on my computer, so if you need something just PM me please.

Thanks, kapelli!! Here is the updated list:

Orange Soda King:
-Barcarolles, complete (Op. 38, 65, 67, 70, Esquisse Op. 63, No. 12 "Barcarollette" )
-Various Preludes, Esquisses, Chants, and Impromptus (to be decided upon later)
-Etudes Op. 35 Nos. 3, 5 (I'm gonna ditch 11 for now)

WinsomeAllegretto:
-Prelude in A flat minor Op. 31, No. 8 "La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer"

Dwscamel:
-Esquisse Op. 63, No. 8 "Pseudo-Naivete"

wr:
-Menuet Op. 51, No. 2

Alkanaut:
-Barcarolle Op. 65, No. 6

Sorcerer88:
-Troisième recueil de chants Op. 65
II. Espirits follets, prestissimo
III. Canon
V. Horace et Lydie

MarkH
-Le Tambour bat aux champs (Esquisse) Op. 50bis.

kapelli
-Petites Fantaisie Op. 41, No. 1

Also, I've got some people that aren't on the forum interested in participating. Will add more info about that later.

I spent some time today deciding whether it is feasible to do the full concerto from op. 39 for November. My feeling is if I'm ever going to play it, I better play it now, so I'm going for it.
I uploaded a fragment here: http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=51904.0

I would also like to do the 3rd movement of the Grand Sonata. I just can't get it out of my head.

Wow!! So you want me to put you down for the full concerto for solo piano (Op. 39 Nos. 8-10) and the 3rd movement (A Happy Marriage) of the Grande Sonate Op. 33?

The fragment sounds good

Before I forget.....in accordance with the other thread; how much are we allowed to interpret? I mean...of course it's meant to be Alkan but...well, I can't just keep rephrasing it; how strictly would you like the score to be observed?

Well, it's not my place to tell you what to do. Just you offering to record those pieces for the e-cital is way more important to me.

Well you can't trick me into that hornet's nest (not me ^>^ )...um...listening to his/her recording, I'm sure D. S. F. will be ready...of course, his/her word means more in that than mine Good to know, though, that you won't be terribly disappointed by some de-Alkanisation...*cough*

OH WAIT!!! I'm so sorry!! I thought you were D. S. F. instead of FSO!! Hahaha, oops, let me edit my post above... I'm so sorry :P

But like I said, I won't tell you how to play the piano; I'll just be happy that you are contributing to this. I don't personally see the point in changing a composition, but that's my opinion.

Just to clarify, D = David. Lol.

Alkan's knowledge of the piano and his daring to write powerfully to the full extremities of both registers kind of make it silly to consider the types of embellishments that are the subject of the "is the score sacred" thread. There is that B sharp toward the end of the finale which is tempting to drop down an octave as Hamelin does...but Alkan has experience writing down there when he wants it, and he does drop the next C sharp down right after that...so wouldn't he know his composition best? (Kind of like the third hammer blow of the Mahler 6th Symphony which some against the composer's intentions restore.)

On the other matter, not all of Alkan's scores are as demanding as the Sonata and the etudes, so it may be good to do some exploring of scores to find some of his music you'd not have to simplify. Or in my case, my hands are rather small, so I sometimes tastefully rearrange something which is hardly ever perceived as a change. Usually the music itself reveals where you can and can't do that successfully (I think of the 10ths in Szymanowski's 3rd sonata, which he actually did provide an ossia...yet no, it is not the same atmosphere at all...).

What some find difficult, others find easy. Personally, I find it terribly difficult to play scores as written; if I tried and tried, practiced away, I could do it...but the results, I find, are always inferior for me for having had that forced-ness laid upon them...I mean, um, I wish I could actually do what I'm meant to, but I just can't. Hence, my question; sure, you can't tell me to how to play Twister, but if I turn up at *your* house I should play by the rules *you* set. So; I shan't feel ashamed if, upon receiving my less than accurate efforts, Sodey, you discard them in the name of preserving Alkan's impeccable writing. Because truly, it is; um...I'm unabashed about the fact I'm an inferior pianist...to call me such would be to degrade what constitutes pianism, but at least I know I can offer *something* others can't; my interpretation. At the end of the day, um, if it's unacceptably poor then so be it; I'll have enjoyed the journey ^>^
Xxx

I'm a little confused, and I hope I didn't offend you, FSO. I think it's possible I am totally misunderstanding what you mean by de-alkanization and altering the score.

I love that Alkan is having his day on this site (or that we're having an Alkan day). I certainly hope you can contribute. I hope I can contribute too. I might fall on my face and have to pull out of my high intention...it's part of the reason I announced it, to give a reason to keep pursuing it. In the end we build this thing together, and it will be great. I will love to hear you, especially knowing it will be a very personal, creative expression in whatever you choose.

Offend? Oh my dear Deffles (it's your name now...>.> ), it's sweet of you to concern but the very act of worrying about such a thing makes you so far from being *capable* of offending me Darn...why is everyone so lovely today? ^>^ My, perhaps, less than clear (well, inarguable lack of clarity ) wording may have extracted you from the meaning, it may not. I meant, simply, that some of the pieces I'll play may be at half tempo, or lower, um, notes may appear, the rhythms may or may not be even and, undoubtedly, they'll not quite be what's notated...a drummer friend of mine once told me, years ago, that I was the only person he knew who could bend rhythm so out of shape one way and back another without it seeming out of place; um...I never really tried to play pieces "normally" when I was younger, I more tried to map the emotions I felt into the music...I didn't listen to music until after I played the piano...I mean, um, without that framework initially in mind, you're bound to just be rubbish as you develop But still...it'll be okay; it'll at least be new Purists hate impressionists and, nowadays, impressionism is kind of in the slumps...still, I'll definitely be contributing a few bits...um...frankly, I can't wait to hear your efforts, should they flower; I was very impressed with your Pianostreet uploads...oh! I'll be doing the final movement to the sonata so, I mean, um, if, you know, that horrifically difficult, lilting, lethally loquacious monstrosity of a concerto doesn't keep you swamped too much it'd be a true pleasure to hear your third movement...it truly is beautiful...a far departure from those tragic soft sighs in the first movement, but perhaps still as glimmering. Anyway! Um...rambling over; thank you, of course you didn't offend me, I listen forward to hearing you and I'm sure you'll do great! And I hope you're well and things, you know? Be well, I insist
Xxxx

FSO, in the end, you are the one making the recording and volunteering to participate in this e-cital, so I'll accept any recording of Alkan you make.