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Ronald Smith plays Alkan
 
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Ronald Smith plays Alkan

~ Charles-Valentin Alkan (Composer), Ronald Smith (Piano)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Composer: Charles-Valentin Alkan
  • Audio CD (1 Oct 1999)
  • SPARS Code: ADD
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Label: Apr
  • ASIN: B00002647D
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 501,152 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Disc: 1
1. Allegro barbaro, Op.35 No.5
2. La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer, Op.31 No.8
3. Trois petites fantaisies, Op.41: No.1: Assez gravement
4. Trois petites fantaisies, Op.41: No.2: Andantino
5. Trois petites fantaisies, Op.41: No.3: Presto
6. Douze Etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op. 39: No. 1: Comme le vent (Prestissimamente)
7. Douze Etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op. 39: No.2: En rythme molossique (Risoluto)
8. Douze Etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op. 39: No.3: Scherzo diabolico (Prestissimo)
9. Douze Etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op. 39 - Symphony For Solo Piano: No.4: I Allegro
10. Douze Etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op. 39 - Symphony For Solo Piano: No. 5: II Marche funebre (Andantino)
See all 12 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Douze etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op.39 - Concerto For Solo Piano: No. 8: I Allegro assai
2. Douze etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op.39 - Concerto For Solo Piano: No. 9: II Adagio
3. Douze etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op.39 - Concerto For Solo Piano: No. 10: III Allegretto alla barbaresca
4. Douze etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op.39 - Concerto For Solo Piano: No. 11: Ouverture (Maestoso - Allegro)
5. Douze etudes dans les tons mineurs, Op.39 - Concerto For Solo Piano: No. 12: Le Festin d'Esope (Allegretto senza licenza quantunque)
On this CD:
  1. (12) Études dans les tons majeurs
    Composed by Valentin Alkan
    with Ronald Smith

  2. (25) Préludes
    Composed by Valentin Alkan
    with Ronald Smith

  3. (3) Petites fantaisies
    Composed by Valentin Alkan
    with Ronald Smith

  4. (12) Études dans les tons mineurs
    Composed by Valentin Alkan
    with Ronald Smith

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing playing from a great musician., 12 April 2002
By A Customer
Ronald Smith brings a depth of understanding to this music that no other pianist can match. He has devoted years to researching the life and works of Alkan, and has written two books about Alkan and his music.

These pieces are some of the most difficult ever written for the piano, but Smith's technique allows him - and the listener - to focus on the music. Nevertheless, you have to wonder how he does it sometimes! His recording of the "Concerto" on this disk (a work that is astonishing in scale) is far more accomplished than John Ogdon's version (available as part of the "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" series), and makes one wonder why Smith has never achieved greater recognition.

This recording is not all virtuoso bombast, however, and Smith's playing in the more contemplative pieces is equally admirable. (Again, by way of comparison, his recording of "La Chanson de la Folle au Bord de la Mer" is much more satisfying than the more recent recording by Olli Mustonen).

If you are not a unconditional piano-phile, you may find these disks a bit difficult to sit through at one listening. To help, Ronald Smith has provided excellent and detailed notes on the music.

This is by far the best recording of Alkan's Op. 39 ever made, and it is likely to remain that way until Marc-André Hamelin records the studies that have not already been released on his Hyperion disks.

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