.gif)
Concerto for solo piano (Alkan)
Encyclopedia
Concerto for solo piano is a 3-movement solo piano piece written by Charles-Valentin Alkan
. The pieces are part of a 12 piece cycle entitled Douze études dans tous les tons mineurs (12 Studies in the Minor Keys), published in 1857 (although it may have been written some years earlier). With sections marked "Tutti", "Solo" and "Piano", the piece requires the soloist to present the voices of both the orchestra and the soloist. The pianist Jack Gibbons
comments: "The style and form of the music take on a monumental quality — rich, thickly set textures and harmonies [...] conjure up the sound world of a whole orchestra and tax the performer, both physically and mentally, to the limit."
The work features progressive tonality, beginning in G-sharp minor and ending in F-sharp 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.
The piece, including all 3 movements, is 121 pages long and takes about 50 minutes to perform. The first movement on its own, comprises 72 pages and takes over 29 minutes to play (Jack Gibbons comments that "the first movement has more bars in it than the entire Hammerklavier sonata
by Beethoven"). Alkan authorized the piece to be truncated to make "un morceau de concert, d'une durée ordinaire" (a concert piece of normal duration). It may be that the composer himself performed the first movement (alone) in such a shortend version in a recital in Paris in the 1880s. It was not until in 1939 that Egon Petri
gave the piece a proper performance, in its entirety, during BBC broadcasts.
Adrian Corleonis considers the Concerto to represent the most cruelly taxing piano work before the time of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
and Ferruccio Busoni
.
The second movement is marked "Adagio". The introductory section is marked 'quasi-celli
'.
The final movement marked "Allegretto alla barbaresca", features technical difficulties comparable with those of the first movement, including larger leaps and a more pervasive use of 3-against-4 polyrhythms.
Recordings are scarce because of the monstrous technical difficulties, notable ones include Jack Gibbons
, Marc-André Hamelin
, John Ogdon
, Mark Latimer
, Ronald Smith
, Stefan Lindgren, Stephanie McCallum
and Emanuele Delucchi.
by Marc-André Hamelin
.
First movement
Second and third movements
Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan was a French composer and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. His attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of six, earning many awards, and as an adult became a famous virtuoso...
. The pieces are part of a 12 piece cycle entitled Douze études dans tous les tons mineurs (12 Studies in the Minor Keys), published in 1857 (although it may have been written some years earlier). With sections marked "Tutti", "Solo" and "Piano", the piece requires the soloist to present the voices of both the orchestra and the soloist. The pianist Jack Gibbons
Jack Gibbons
Jack Gibbons is an English classical pianist and composer.-Biography:Gibbons was born in England. His father is a scientist and his mother a visual artist. He began his piano studies in Stockton-on-Tees, later continuing in Oxford. He began performing in public at the age of 10...
comments: "The style and form of the music take on a monumental quality — rich, thickly set textures and harmonies [...] conjure up the sound world of a whole orchestra and tax the performer, both physically and mentally, to the limit."
The work features progressive tonality, beginning in G-sharp minor and ending in F-sharp 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
Perfect fourth
In classical music from Western culture, a fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions , and the perfect fourth is a fourth spanning five semitones. For example, the ascending interval from C to the next F is a perfect fourth, as the note F lies five semitones above C, and there...
higher than its predecessor.
The piece, including all 3 movements, is 121 pages long and takes about 50 minutes to perform. The first movement on its own, comprises 72 pages and takes over 29 minutes to play (Jack Gibbons comments that "the first movement has more bars in it than the entire Hammerklavier sonata
Piano Sonata No. 29 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 is a piano sonata widely considered to be one of the most important works of the composer's third period and among one of the great piano sonatas...
by Beethoven"). Alkan authorized the piece to be truncated to make "un morceau de concert, d'une durée ordinaire" (a concert piece of normal duration). It may be that the composer himself performed the first movement (alone) in such a shortend version in a recital in Paris in the 1880s. It was not until in 1939 that Egon Petri
Egon Petri
Egon Petri was a classical pianist.-Biography:Petri's family was Dutch and he was born a Dutch citizen, but he was born in Hanover in Germany and was brought up in Dresden. His father was a professional violinist who taught his son that instrument. Petri played in the Dresden Court Orchestra and...
gave the piece a proper performance, in its entirety, during BBC broadcasts.
Adrian Corleonis considers the Concerto to represent the most cruelly taxing piano work before the time of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji was an English composer, music critic, pianist, and writer.-Biography:...
and Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
.
Description
The first movement is marked "Allegro assai". The beginning bars are marked 'quasi-trombe' (like trumpets). Performance demands physical endurance, and great technical skills to cover features including arpeggios, octave runs, leaps, grace notes, alternating hands, swiftly changing block chord motifs, tremolos, and trills.The second movement is marked "Adagio". The introductory section is marked 'quasi-celli
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
'.
Recordings are scarce because of the monstrous technical difficulties, notable ones include Jack Gibbons
Jack Gibbons
Jack Gibbons is an English classical pianist and composer.-Biography:Gibbons was born in England. His father is a scientist and his mother a visual artist. He began his piano studies in Stockton-on-Tees, later continuing in Oxford. He began performing in public at the age of 10...
, Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a French Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also a pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was...
, John Ogdon
John Ogdon
John Andrew Howard Ogdon was an English pianist and composer.-Biography:Ogdon was born in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, and attended Manchester Grammar School, before studying at the Royal Northern College of Music between 1953 and 1957, where his fellow students under Richard Hall...
, Mark Latimer
Mark Latimer
Mark Latimer is an English pianist.His repertoire consists of over 75 performed piano concertos, including the mammoth Concerto for Piano and Chorus by Busoni and the Alkan Concerto for solo piano, of which he made the first live recording...
, Ronald Smith
Ronald Smith
Ronald Sam Smith was an English classical pianist, composer and teacher, born in London. He entered the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 16 with the Sir Michael Costa Scholarship for composition...
, Stefan Lindgren, Stephanie McCallum
Stephanie McCallum
Stephanie McCallum is a classical pianist. She has recorded works of Erik Satie, Ludwig van Beethoven, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Carl Maria von Weber, Albéric Magnard, Pierre Boulez, and Iannis Xenakis among others.-Life:Stephanie McCallum studied with Alexander...
and Emanuele Delucchi.
Performances
Performance on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a French Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also a pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was...
.
First movement
Second and third movements