Charles-Valentin Alkan: Concerto For Solo Piano [Original recording reissued]

Marc- Andre Hamelin (Artist), Charles-Valentin Alkan (Composer), none (Conductor), Marc-André Hamelin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Marc-André Hamelin
• Conductor: none
• Composer: Charles-Valentin Alkan
• Audio CD (March 27, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Music & Arts Program
• ASIN: B000001OFE
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,482 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Allegro assai

2. Adagio

3. Allegretto Alla Barbaresca

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible composing, Incredible playing, April 18, 2001

By 

Deborah M. Lisle (Salem, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charles-Valentin Alkan: Concerto For Solo Piano (Audio CD)

This is an incredible piece of music performed with style and flair. Rarely do you find a piece of such power, brilliance, beauty, and technical complexity. Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano is among the most awe-inspiring pieces in the piano repertoire, and Hamelin plays it perfectly. I had never heard of Alkan until I saw Mr. Hamelin perform this. My jaw hit the floor when he started playing and didn't recover itself until the conclusion of the third movement, an hour later. The recording does the live performance credit (though a recording can never truly capture the energy of a live performance). The only qualms I have are that the recording is not always perfect, and the Concerto is the only piece on the CD. However, this does not detract enough to make it not warrant five stars and you will be hard pressed to find someone play this better than Hamelin.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, December 30, 2004

By 

T. Herion (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charles-Valentin Alkan: Concerto For Solo Piano (Audio CD)

Hamelin or Alkan fans shouldn't bother reading the rest of this review. This is an essential disk. Buy it.

If Hamelin receives any negative criticism at all, it seems to follow a regular formula: his technique is divine, but the interpretation is too rigid, fake, almost inhumane. In nearly every case I simply think the exact opposite. Yes, Hamelin's technique is divine, perhaps the greatest ever recorded, and yes, his interpretation sometimes sounds almost too perfect, but I cannot see this as a fault. If anything at all, his interpretations are sublime-- he is able to take music which may seem mundane and commonplace and create sound so beautiful, sometimes I struggle to take it all in. In practical words, his understanding of long form compositional structure (as the first movement clearly demonstrates- almost 30 minutes of sonata-allegro form) is so precise that each note maintains its excitement and importance from the very first to the last. His control of color is exhibited both in the slow lyrical parts as well as the places of incredible technical challenge (something you will not hear on ANY other recording). This disk has only one minor (minor minor minor) drawback - it was not recorded on Hamelin's present label, Hyperion and therefore cannot benefit from the tremendous sound quality Hyperion has consistently engineered. I do hope Hamelin re-records this as he has a number of other pieces so that it is included in the Hyperion catalogue.

And a bit on Alkan: the man was a master. If you wonder why you haven't heard of him, google his name and read a bio, its a fascinating story. Compositional revelations aside, his music is honest and soulful, often ironic, and always strangely familiar. There was a lot to this man and his music has much to say.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEYOND 5 STARS!, February 28, 2003

By 

Terrill L Sanford (Southfield, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charles-Valentin Alkan: Concerto For Solo Piano (Audio CD)

There is no true words or explanations of the radical difficulty of this luminous and freakishly complex work for piano. Hamelin is simply gifted beyond human description. His Hands must be made of Adamantium and his memory and facility must be just this side of God-Like. Happily able to hear him play Live with with DSO (Detroit Symphony) i know that his musicianship and tecnique are no fluke or Studio wizardry, the man is a Fabulous Quirk of nature and God bless him for it! This Recording is by far one of my Number one Recordings (along with Hamelin's Performance of the REMARKABLE Alkan Concerti and Henselt Concerto on Hyperion.) I think in Facility no other Pianist Matches him, he has no Equal and as a Composer, Alkan is without peer, Even Chopin's Etudes seem like exercises in childlike pedancy compared to Alkans Inspired and Incendiary Genius! LOVE THIS RECORDING! YOU MUST BUY! YOU MUST OWN! JUST BUY IT! NOW!!