technically its not a 1 voice fugue and then a 2 voice, its the subject and then it starts developing voices, so i would remove the 1 voice and put subject
Alkan was almost painting on the piano. His titles and footnotes are always moving. To non-french people, in the first part (20 years old): 2:38 begins with the description "timidement" which means "shyly" ; 2:49 has the description "amoureusement" which means "in love" ; 3:15 has the description "avec bonheur" which means "happiness". On the other hand, the last part (50 years old) draws us to the abyss. As an epigraph at 31:03, Alkan cites several verses of the Aesychlus tragedy: "Non, tu ne pourrais point endurer ma souffrance ! Si du moins le destin m'accordait de mourir ! Mourir... de mes tourments serait la délivrance ! Que Jupiter avant n'ait perdu sa puissance. Je vivrai quoi qu'il fasse... Vois s'ils sont mérités les tourments que j'endure !" which is, in english: "No, you could never bear my suffering! If only destiny would let me die! To die... would release me from my torments! Would that Jupiter had not lost his power. I will live whatever he might do... See if I deserve to suffer such torments!" PS : the Hamelin's version on "Hamelin plays Alkan" is simply astonishing, the best one in my opinion.
Thanksamillion for bringing g to my attention these past geniuses and masterpieces,which h are hufely under presented and underrated. and I wasnt even aware ofin spite of listening to so much great classical music since 4 years old over several decades
Analysis of the 1st movement - correct me if I'm wrong MVT 1 (Scherzo), D major/B minor->B major SCHERZO SECTION 0:00 Theme 1: 1st Motif, in D major 0:06 Theme 1: 2nd motif, in B minor, featuring hemiolas 0:10 Motif 1 0:15 Motif 2, in F# major 0:19 repeat 0:36 Theme 2, in D# minor, featuring some hemiolas like motif 2 1:03 Theme 1 1:14 Unexpected B flat major chord after the 2nd repetition of 1st theme. 1:16 Motif 2 in F# major, as if nothing happened 1:20 Repeat theme 2 and variation of 1st theme 2:04 Transition to trio, featuring mysterious octaves and small 8th note flurries TRIO SECTION 2:37 Theme 3, in B major (much more relaxed) 2:59 Theme 3, in F# minor, with legato quarter notes. The quarter notes form a pattern of the first beat for each measure going down chromatically 3:15 Return to B major 3:34 Theme 3, with a chromatic line above the melody, suggesting some form of counterpoint, and referencing Theme 3 when in F# minor 3:55 Quiet, peaceful transition to scherzo, ending as if sleeping SCHERZO 4:15 Theme 1 coming out as a surprise, same as the first time, but without repeating 4:32 Theme 2 4:58 Motif 1 in G major 5:03 Motif 2 in E minor 5:08 Motif 1 in E minor 5:10 Fast scales in the right hand, starting in C major, but quickly modulating 5:16 part of theme 2, transitioning to theme 3 5:19 Theme 3, much louder and more energetic CODA 5:44 Fast scales in B minor 5:59 Transition to B major 6:08 Flurry of octaves 6:15 Final chords
@Rónálðór Dáviðson That's just how it sounded to me, I didn't say it was bad. Maybe "mysterious" would've been a better word choice, but you need to relax. I don't think you'd act like this in real life.
What’s the actual term for those octaves that are played at the ending of the first piece? Alkan does it a lot. I’ve seen Henselt and Liszt do it a lot with chords as well. Like interlocking octaves but they’re not always interlocking just alternating between left and right hand
Man, I wish Alkan would further recapitulate or even develop the theme starting at 10:35 before concluding so suddenly! Such bittersweet melody, that could've been elevated to much more importance!
Don't be afraid to make your own piece incorporating that section into it! Without knowing what part you were referencing in your timestamp, I assumed you were referencing the part that begins at 8:32 (which I know Alkan develops further). I had an idea of making my own version of Mozart Symphony No.40 Mvt.I (because I love the beginning tune in minor key, but I hate how quickly it converts to the major key), and this made me realize maybe I can use the theme at 8:32 to help me with this, hmm... Nevertheless, I'd be really interested in hearing what you hoped you would hear after 10:35 haha
@@TheExarionHa! I prefer to graciously digress on this proposition... I just thought the theme would be better reintroduced or developed within the context of the sonata, that's all. Not in the context of any standalone treatment of that excerpt, or in any sort of independent paraphrasing, repurposing, etc. It was a brief disappointment I felt, that it's a shame to use that gem of a segment only once within this massive unit of a sonata!
I can't get enough of 24:26! Its like a much prettier version of the "p, et bien chanté" section of Le Chemin de Fer. I love how the line becomes syncopated at 24:33. Its perfect!
The literal binding of the hands with those hand crossings at 13:21 has got to be the best example of virtuosic storytelling I've ever experienced. Not to mention the brutal chromatic runs beforehand that feel like the tearing of garments in agony.
Seriously, Alkan’s pianistic storytelling is fucking marvelous, especially for being so early in history. Les Grillon and Le Vent (Op.15 No.2) are also some pieces that stand out to me in this regard. I’m hoping to someday finish an article I’m writing about this side of Alkan.
It was dedicated to his father Alkan Morhange so I suppose it would be something to do with his 30s rather than CV Alkan's but that doesn't really help because there's hardly any information about Morhange.
16:19 Smith is probably the only pianist who emphasised the countersubject of the fugato, here in the left hand. 16:52 the subject is as the pedal point using a previous theme as countermelody... Mad respect for this pianist!
Well, Alkan was a brilliant pianist and a good composer. Good, not great. This is more sport than music. His compositions will amaze you for the first time, only the first time. Then it will stop surprising you. Like watching the same fireworks every night.
You should speak for yourself and not in second-person lol. The 40 ans is continuously pleasant for me to listen to each time I listen to it. The 50 ans is too slow for me to get much enjoyment out of (but that’s also partially the point). The 20 ans is too repetitive for me to enjoy (again, partially the point). And the 30 ans seems to only get better and better each time I listen to it, and it’s arguably the most “sport-like” among all of them. I could give a long-winded answer for why, but I plan on making a video essay about this sonata (and other Alkan works) someday.
Alkan has to be trolling with 13:22 . That is straight-up impossible at tempo. I really want to like Alkan, but I can't take him seriously when I see stuff like this. There has to be a more pianistically effective way to write that section, right? The eight voice fugue is harmonically and technically impressive, but when it comes to performances of it, it all sounds like a struggling blend of 2 over 3 poly rhythms with mushy chromatic passing tones. He undoubtedly knows how to write for the piano, and has done it beautifully in a lot of works, but sometimes it feels like he writes "ugly" just to be different without regard to any formal or pianistic considerations.
In Alkan’s defense, I’ve seen Liszt write similarly pianistically ludicrous stuff in his S.137 Transcendental and S.140 Paganini studies. Seems like they were both a fan of unnecessary hand crossings at a point in time. If you watch Hamelin in his live performance, he definitely “cheats” it and it sounds fine lol. I’m personally a huge fan of the fugue (for the most part). I think Viner plays it with the most clarity - it feels like most pianists intentionally try to muddy the details needlessly. That being said, when I made the color-coded sheet music of the fugue, it became quite apparent that Alkan pulled shit out of his ass as soon as 8 voices were involved lol. There’s a voice introduced in the LH that makes the sound way, way more messy than it needs to be, and doesn’t make much sense on its own in the context of the piece tbh. In the past, I’ve justified the fugue artistically as a “coming to know God” moment and coming to terms with life’s complexities, etc. But pianistically, it’s undoubtedly a bit of a mess.
@@TheExarion I am glad that Liszt decided to revise the earlier transcendental/paganini etudes; they are much better not only pianistically but musically. I do think approaching Alkan's music with a sense of humour and wild creativity helps a little bit, and is a hallmark of many of his pieces. It's also why Hamelin is my go-to for most Alkan interpretations lol, he understands the dramatic humour and irony.
