Alan Weiss - Alkan Symphony for piano solo 1/5

Alkan - Symphony for piano solo - 1, Allegro, opus 39 no 4 (Alan Weiss) part1.

He told me he liked this video more than the recent CD recording :)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• alkan
• symphony
• piano
• solo
• allegro
• etudes
• charles
• valentin
• opus
• 39

[davealkan]

All credit to Weiss for not taking this blisteringly fast.

Everyone believes with Alkan that the only way to play it is FAST. But Weiss really proves them wrong with a truly musical interpretation. I love this!

[grdiii]

I first heard Lewenthal in the early 70's. I have his edition of Alkan and all recordings. He is a phenomenon. I have not heard anyone play with his level of clarity. Weiss's interpretation seems anti-Lewenthal but I applaud that. I think that his playing of the first movement in this recital gives it a soaring architecture. A bold performance of an immensely intimdating work. I like someone who is thinking, reacting, just meeting the music head on and performing in the moment as he seems to be

[88alan8800]

Its a shame he clearly does not understand the style... rubato is necessary but not this much, and certainly not in the way he does it.

[lovesGenet]

well in addition to the finally worthwhile readings p[osted here .I like this performance 's tempo which seems more 19th century than bartok as the two recordings I have

[OrangeSodaKing]

Oh. Well I heard a concert pianist once tell me it really isn't too awfully difficult, and even the climax is half-way managable with good technique and practice. Even though it's sort of "inferior" (harmonically VERY simple) to his other compositions, Le Chemin de Fer is a very enjoyable and pleasant etude.

[grdiii]

No, I have not played it but I have heard it. I played op 39 #1 "Comme le Vent" about 25 years ago. 20 pages in 4 1/2 minutes. Absolutely brutal. But it sounded like a long train wreck : (

[OrangeSodaKing]

You've probably played "Le Chemin de Fer", you know the etude about the Railway?

[grdiii]

I have played Tambour at home for a long time. Wonderful piece but I don't see how it could compare with the scope and complexity of the 1st mvt of the Sym. I am finally learning this piece seriously to perform. Of course it may just end up being for the walls. I know how Lewenthal got his results, I am not sure that I want to go through that....

I wish Cziffra or Richter or Berman in his youth had played some Alkan.

Do you play?

[cziffra1980]

Btw, it's interesting that you mention the drum, as Alkan was fascinated by it. Look at Tambour aux Champs! It's perfectly possible to maintain the feel of a steady drum beat, while playing the melodic line on either side of beats, to maintain breathing. For my money, while there are loads of superb things in this, it would be even more effective it retained a ticking pulse behind more of the freedoms. I usually argue in favour of extremely free timing, but I think Alkan is an unusual case.

[cziffra1980]

True, but have you heard Lewenthal? Much as I like freedoms, on the whole, Lewenthal is expressive and remarkably tight at the same time. It's hard to know exactly how straight Alkan really played, considering how freely his contemporaries were likely to have been, but I'd personally suspect that Lewenthal's way is about as close as anyone. I like many things here,but the rubato is sometimes too loose for me- it often drastically alters the pulse, rather than merely adding inflection.