He certainly has substance, but one that is easy to identify (sometimes), but hard to truly grasp. It's a problem because I don't see much use in comparing him to Liszt (as some people have). Their approaches and goals are worlds apart - and maybe that's why Alkan's popular; because he's the "anti-Liszt", and people seem to revel in necromancy. I personally find Alkan very experimental and somewhat hit-and-miss. That aside, many of his pieces deserve more recognition than they are given now.
As a composer, I think Alkan is difficult to place. His roots are clearly Classical, and I can almost say that he skipped much of Romanticism (Liszt, Chopin, etc.) and straight into an experimental Modernist/Neoclassical attitude, while only borrowing from a few Romantics, namely Mendelssohn. I guess what I'm saying is that he's anachronistic and an offshoot of the Western music canon - kind of like an early Satie, except Satie actually had family, so to speak.
If there's one thing we can thank Alkan for it's getting people who need the loud bangs and fast runs of Rock and metal into classical music. Unfortunately, most stop at Alkan.
@amxmachine Experience. Alkan is a fairly popular composer nowadays among the young crowd. The reason is fairly easy to see. The music reveals no secrets and begs no real experience be required for maximum enjoyment. It is straightforward and rewarding on first and second listen. This is a STRENGTH of Alkan, but also a peculiar weakness. Whereas the music of Brahms or Rachmaninoff is instantly enjoyable, it also rewards deeper reflection which Alkan rarely does.
@toneeeeeee you use a lot of absolutes when you speak your opinions. it makes you seem naive is all i am saying. have you listened to his op 35 no 7 ?(one of my favorite musical pieces) or no 3? also his concerto third movement is unlike anything i have heard. op 31 no 8 has madness echoing. the four i just named are all very original and represent totally different tones. i will state one absolute opinion. you can not, and i mean CAN NOT, generalize all the works of any composer at this level
@amxmachine This has in my experience, resulted in a sort of fad-like fever surrounding his music. It draws a new listener instantly but to an experienced listener, there is truly nothing said that hasn't been said before, in much more profound and effective ways. Couple this with the fact that the musical ideas are dwarfed by technical difficulties, and you have a body of music with HIGH curiosity value, but Little artistic reward. All being said, I do enjoy Alkan, but he is overrated.
@amxmachine Now, that also being said, I would wish to deprive no one of his music, as It's tremendous appeal lies in it power to draw even the most unfamiliar of listeners. So by all means music lovers, feast on the music of Alkan! Realize though, that Alkan is not the pinnacle, like many other composers were.
When I was in England I red a fantastic book of Chopin's life and his letters to his friends.Chopin was a friend of Alkan but....in a letter to Titus he said that Alkan's music is "too much trouble for nothing" and "it often lacks of musicality" and "it sounds like a noise to me" etc etc etc....I so agree with him!!!
i think it is an incredibly pretentious attitude to tell a listener that "they are not ready" because they called a piano piece "a song"....its this type of attitude by classical music enthusiasts that keep people from embracing classical music
music is for everyone....if the classical community would choose to make the music more accessible, it would grow expontially in popularity....
@justinmutchler Music is for everybody, but can this be for everybody? When you listen ornstein's "wild men's dance" it's just not easily accessible for everybody. I just loved it immediately. Also in popular music the more the band wants you to listen the actual music the less pyrotechnics and lights they have - or they just don't have money for it. I think it's more about your own relationship with the classical music than anything else.
Re Song as a useless title: Alkan's Op 31No 8 is titled 'Song of the Madwoman on the Seashore' however Mendelssohn was more shrewd when he warned us beforehand not to expect words in his songs. It's all a bit of fun, this nit-picking.
My colleague asked me to listen to some of the Alkan piano works, as we challenge each other to listen to music we have always overlooked. I'm glad I did listen to some Alkan.
It's a pandemic in our culture and the influence of popular music makes it worse. Many people just think the word "song" means any piece of music.
I was watching something on TV the other day with closed captioning. During the intro music the captions read "[Dramatic song begins]". I kept waiting for a voice to enter, but that never occurred because this was clearly orchestral music with no vocal part.
His style is very unique, but once you listen to a good amount of his music it becomes predictable in a sense. His choice of chord progressions are also very "Beethovian" sometimes.
It's like a new language of music. At first you are just hearing bees on your ears, but after some time it will sound something. And more you listen to it, more it will make sense.
It is good, but i have never really liked the music of Alkan, it is very hard to listen to. But if I do not like it than i don't know why I am listening to it :P
Thanks for posting this! I would love to hear the master, Marc-André Hamelin, play these Esquisses.
sfsphil 1 month ago
Comment removed
2hyeok 6 months ago
He certainly has substance, but one that is easy to identify (sometimes), but hard to truly grasp. It's a problem because I don't see much use in comparing him to Liszt (as some people have). Their approaches and goals are worlds apart - and maybe that's why Alkan's popular; because he's the "anti-Liszt", and people seem to revel in necromancy. I personally find Alkan very experimental and somewhat hit-and-miss. That aside, many of his pieces deserve more recognition than they are given now.
TheWanderingNight 7 months ago 3
As a composer, I think Alkan is difficult to place. His roots are clearly Classical, and I can almost say that he skipped much of Romanticism (Liszt, Chopin, etc.) and straight into an experimental Modernist/Neoclassical attitude, while only borrowing from a few Romantics, namely Mendelssohn. I guess what I'm saying is that he's anachronistic and an offshoot of the Western music canon - kind of like an early Satie, except Satie actually had family, so to speak.
TheWanderingNight 7 months ago
An angry piece, indeed.
Busoni72 7 months ago
If there's one thing we can thank Alkan for it's getting people who need the loud bangs and fast runs of Rock and metal into classical music. Unfortunately, most stop at Alkan.
toneeeeeee 10 months ago
@toneeeeeee speaking from experience or omniscience?
amxmachine 8 months ago
@amxmachine Experience. Alkan is a fairly popular composer nowadays among the young crowd. The reason is fairly easy to see. The music reveals no secrets and begs no real experience be required for maximum enjoyment. It is straightforward and rewarding on first and second listen. This is a STRENGTH of Alkan, but also a peculiar weakness. Whereas the music of Brahms or Rachmaninoff is instantly enjoyable, it also rewards deeper reflection which Alkan rarely does.
toneeeeeee 8 months ago
@toneeeeeee you use a lot of absolutes when you speak your opinions. it makes you seem naive is all i am saying. have you listened to his op 35 no 7 ?(one of my favorite musical pieces) or no 3? also his concerto third movement is unlike anything i have heard. op 31 no 8 has madness echoing. the four i just named are all very original and represent totally different tones. i will state one absolute opinion. you can not, and i mean CAN NOT, generalize all the works of any composer at this level
amxmachine 8 months ago
@amxmachine This has in my experience, resulted in a sort of fad-like fever surrounding his music. It draws a new listener instantly but to an experienced listener, there is truly nothing said that hasn't been said before, in much more profound and effective ways. Couple this with the fact that the musical ideas are dwarfed by technical difficulties, and you have a body of music with HIGH curiosity value, but Little artistic reward. All being said, I do enjoy Alkan, but he is overrated.
toneeeeeee 8 months ago
@amxmachine Now, that also being said, I would wish to deprive no one of his music, as It's tremendous appeal lies in it power to draw even the most unfamiliar of listeners. So by all means music lovers, feast on the music of Alkan! Realize though, that Alkan is not the pinnacle, like many other composers were.
toneeeeeee 8 months ago
When I was in England I red a fantastic book of Chopin's life and his letters to his friends.Chopin was a friend of Alkan but....in a letter to Titus he said that Alkan's music is "too much trouble for nothing" and "it often lacks of musicality" and "it sounds like a noise to me" etc etc etc....I so agree with him!!!
666KINKY999 11 months ago 2
i really like those stabbing dissonanses in this piece. really original and ... great :)
Tobbe999999999999999 11 months ago
I call piano pieces songs just to bug those who get all worked up about it ;)
Xcelerate2 1 year ago 6
@Xcelerate2 Im glad you found your purpose in life.
horekar 1 year ago
@horekar Thanks! It's a gives me a very fulfilling life.
Xcelerate2 1 year ago
That was unique........and awesome!
cedricrlongreen 1 year ago
i think it is an incredibly pretentious attitude to tell a listener that "they are not ready" because they called a piano piece "a song"....its this type of attitude by classical music enthusiasts that keep people from embracing classical music
music is for everyone....if the classical community would choose to make the music more accessible, it would grow expontially in popularity....
but then again, maybe that is not the goal here
justinmutchler 1 year ago 12
@justinmutchler Music is for everybody, but can this be for everybody? When you listen ornstein's "wild men's dance" it's just not easily accessible for everybody. I just loved it immediately. Also in popular music the more the band wants you to listen the actual music the less pyrotechnics and lights they have - or they just don't have money for it. I think it's more about your own relationship with the classical music than anything else.
Aul1kki 1 year ago
when was this song made?
Jocklen8 1 year ago
I find Alkan's piano works strong and beautiful and I'm pleased that I found his music.
Soappoa 1 year ago
Re Song as a useless title: Alkan's Op 31No 8 is titled 'Song of the Madwoman on the Seashore' however Mendelssohn was more shrewd when he warned us beforehand not to expect words in his songs. It's all a bit of fun, this nit-picking.
trevorheywood 2 years ago
My colleague asked me to listen to some of the Alkan piano works, as we challenge each other to listen to music we have always overlooked. I'm glad I did listen to some Alkan.
trevorheywood 2 years ago
Comment removed
madlovba2 2 years ago
This is bloody good. What a master. Thanks for uploading.
benbisley 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
nobody knows about Alkan, for good reason.
8aetroya8 2 years ago
and what do you mean by that? :@
addeex1 2 years ago
This piece is loooooooool
hailkayy 2 years ago 11
Comment removed
hailkayy 2 years ago
Comment removed
hailkayy 2 years ago
damnn, I want to play advanced songs like this. my piano skills are rusty......T____T haven't played for months.
h635 2 years ago 6
Michael Bluth: "the fact that u called a piano piece a 'song' tells me that you are not ready."
jefftam1234 2 years ago 45
It's a pandemic in our culture and the influence of popular music makes it worse. Many people just think the word "song" means any piece of music.
I was watching something on TV the other day with closed captioning. During the intro music the captions read "[Dramatic song begins]". I kept waiting for a voice to enter, but that never occurred because this was clearly orchestral music with no vocal part.
Hexameron 2 years ago 3
How unfortunate. if only people weren't so misinformed.
mahler151 2 years ago 3
@jefftam1234 That quote is gold. I also second Hexameron's comment.
SlyStallone208 1 year ago
@jefftam1234 Lol. I love correcting people on that :)
ann03071874 10 months ago
@jefftam1234 The fact that you spelled "you" with a single letter tells me you're in no position to criticize the way other people communicate.
wbuck 10 months ago 9
@wbuck Exactly.
eenodeaanniemand 8 months ago
somewhat reminds me of dies irae
kleptosquirrel 2 years ago 2
danke für deine Mühe! schön!
yuehchopin 2 years ago 7
His style is very unique, but once you listen to a good amount of his music it becomes predictable in a sense. His choice of chord progressions are also very "Beethovian" sometimes.
ReturnOfTheStienway 2 years ago 9
It's like a new language of music. At first you are just hearing bees on your ears, but after some time it will sound something. And more you listen to it, more it will make sense.
Aul1kki 2 years ago 6
It is good, but i have never really liked the music of Alkan, it is very hard to listen to. But if I do not like it than i don't know why I am listening to it :P
morvensky 2 years ago 8
i agree some of his music is hard to listen to but alot of his pieces are great. They just grow on you.
123eldest 2 years ago 8
More please! ;-p
juufa72 3 years ago 28