Alkan - Esquisse No. 45 "Les diablotins"

[2hyeok]

easiest to hardest

[2hyeok]

Lang Lang ordinary people ordinary pianists ordinary composers Easy Medium Hard Very Hard Chuck norris Liszt Schubert/chopin liszt alkan Hexameron

[025bb6mm]

I THING!!! that the main reason why Alkan is so unknown is(was) his character.

He left WORLD at his forty years old I thing. He was big LONER(from his forties), misanthropist(he didi´t like people at all) and propably misogynist(enemy of womans) So it´s OK that is uknown becouse he WASN´T ABLE TO sell his works enought. And now in our era is impossible to make Alkan FAMOUS. It is too late for it..... BUT I LOVE HIM.!!!!!

[benkissinger]

Seems Alkan isn't widely known because he wasn't widely known. He was reclusive, he was one of few people in history who could play his music, his music is darker and more consistently dark than that of most composers, and he was Jewish.

The sketches - 34's my favorite - are abundant proof that their was simply beautiful music at the heart of much of his beautiful technical squalls.

[lamaman94]

Oh come on, grow up people!! Yes, Liszt is a great artist, and Chopin's works are harmonic and beautiful, bla bla bla... it is indeed somewhat understandable, that Alkan remained in obscurity. Let it be, but as long as there are some pianists and listeners who appreciate his music, it will survive!! And I hope it will, because I like it! The ones who think Alkan is bad are just one click away from listening to something different. It's really not that much of a hard work.

[Laudan08]

I was totally entertained... Then i saw the ending.

WTF!

[Emanresu56]

In my opinion it's not at all baffling why Alkan was forgotten, it seems perfectly plausible that Alkan was just one of those composers who was overlooked, just as there are plenty of other historical figures who are overlooked. 

[koalaswrath]

There are more than enough talented pianists out there to play Alkan's music. The reason he has been left somewhat unnoticed is simply because his music is very hard to learn & really not worth the demanding effort. Liszt's music is on par to Alkan's yet we all know who Liszt is. Sure Alkan wrote some really great music but the great majority is kind of boring. All you Alkan lovers simply acquired a taste for his music. This piece in particular, for all it's technicality is simply boring.

[AndrewFinch1]

@koalaswrath I agree with you. Alkan's music, if you take the oddity of the piano writing, is quite boring. I think you do sell Liszt a little short though. His mature music goes far, far beyond anything Alkan could ever have written. Liszt's piano music is much more imaginatively written out for the instrument too. To be honest, I'm sick of all these internet kids thinking that Alkan hasn't been discovered. He has over and over again, and nothing will come of it.

[koalaswrath]

@koalaswrath Short change Liszt? Not at all. Him (Liszt), Beethoven, Chopin & Rachmaninoff are my favorite pianist/composers. Mazzeppa & Un Sospiro are two of my favorite masterpieces.

[illusionario]

hi my name is marceldelta666 and i like to make fun of myself by exposing myself to be a complete hypocrite.

my life goal is to die having used my brain as little as possible.

for the environment!

[marceldelta666]

WHAY HASNT ALKAN GAINED MORE POPULARITY?

WHY HE ISN'T AS FAMOUS AS LISZT OR CHOPIN?

Man, you guys have too much free time and absolutely no girls. Definitely virgin nerds.

He is not as famous as them because his music is fucking boring (ok, not juust that). But let's face it: if you're not a music student, longing to suck someone's cock, longing to find some "lost genius", longing to express all that you leanred in your harmony book, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LIKE HIM!

Too much free time

[horekar]

@marceldelta666 There are people that have a life, but choose to dedicate it to music you ignorant prick... Yeah i bet you have some sort of harem waiting for you back at your place, you've problaby slept with a woman once/twice and now your all out on youtube shouting and calling everyone virgins. Yes there are people that longs to express music, and those who goes further than just "longing" for it. And without that type of people we problaby wouldnt have music at all you stupid cunt...

[horekar]

@marceldelta666 Debussy was inspired by Alkan you fucking moron, but i bet hes just one of those "fucking boring" people as well. I bet you have some sort of a definition on how to life your life, well after burning that book you can burn yourself and then go to hell and burn more:)

[mephyman]

Some interesting ideas, but I think this in particular is one of Alkan's more boring works.

[TheGlobula]

I am behind Chopianist3 all the way! I can't understand why Alkan's music had been so undervaluated for such a long time while being just deep and vivid...it's for me timeless music like Bach's, and it seems to me that Alkan was ahead of his times. When I heard these clusters...

[mukeshcuster]

@TheGlobula he was extremely unfortunate to have been born before there was a move towards atonal pieces and remained largely unknown due to the fact that he didn't conform to the norm of that period.

[Chopianist3]

I completely agree, I love Chopin, but I've completely fallen for Alkan, I have NO idea why isn't just as famous as Liszt or Chopin

[OverFjell]

It's because many people cannot play Alkan, only the best of the best can, which is why there aren't an overt amount of recordings. That's my take anyway.

[Alexenzo]

I totally agree with you. He should be as famous as Liszt or Chopin?! Most of his pieces are impressive.

[SwordlessSlayerIzPro]

people were too focudsed on chopin to think about alkan.

[juufa72]

Why hasn't Alkan gained more popularity?

[Hexameron]

It's baffling. Busoni called Alkan one of the greatest piano composers after Beethoven and ranked him along side Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, and Brahms.

One reason for Alkan's obscurity might be that many in the past and even today have dismissed him as nothing more than a technician; Schumann was one, but judging from his reviews, it appears he made only a superficial examination of Alkan's music.

[jokester007]

It's interesting you mention Liszt and Chopin; the latter was one of Alkan's greatest friends while the former was something of his rival at the Conservatoire where they studied.

[cedricrlongreen]

@Hexameron Well those critic must not have heard Alkan's concerto for solo piano. Definitely more than just techniques.

[Cantormatis]

@Hexameron Don't forget, sadly, that Schumann was also an anti-semite, and Alkan was a Jew.

[BassicStorm]

@Hexameron lol??? xD comparing Schuman and Alkan at the piano is just funny... Your last sentence is a nonsense

[addeex1]

His song are to hard to play so not many can play them which leads to it´s doesn´t become famous

[juufa72]

But there are hundreds of abled-pianists who can play through Rachmaninov and Liszt. Someday, Alkan will be more popular.

[addeex1]

Yeah but this is extremely techinical demanding ^^

Take is easy, it was just a thought,

[terryregnar]

Alkan is more popular now than he ever was, thanks to people like Smith, Lewenthal, Hamelin, Gibbons, he is getting the attention he deserves now, and it's about f..... time.

[John11inch]

Alkan was extremely popular in the 70's and early 80's (yes, the 1970's and 1980's). He was a very "in" composer to listen to, actually. I think a large reason that he has not established himself as much is because he has no orchestral music to speak of, which limits the audience that he can reach, as well as the fact that his music is not as emotionally evocative as Chopin or Liszt (although I prefer Alkan's piano music to Brahms' and Schumann's, though).

[DhiegoRauda]

@juufa72 Well, perhaps he is considerably popular, but we just have no way of assuring that... XD!

[staystilljason]

clusters :D!

[Hexameron]

I wonder what amateur pianists in 1861 thought after buying this from the local music store and trying it at home...

[CamilloT]

... there are already cluster voicings in scarlatti's music ;)