Well, obviously, different people will come up with different lists. I've been an Alkan afficionado for forty years. In fact the edition that Alfor used to get the Zorcico I first borrowed from Sydney University just after it came out and I still play a number of pieces from it and have an original copy of it as well.Timtin wrote:I'm probably in a minority of one when opining that quite a bit of Alkan's piano music is unusual and
highly original, but can get a bit boring with over-familiarity.
In terms of a variety of moods, styles, difficulty etc he is up there with the best of them. I would back the Grande Sonata (Quasi Faust) against the Liszt B minor (it was written before the Liszt), Bartok must have known his music and Sorabji was a fan (Alastair will know more about this of course). Mendelssohn is very neat and pianistic but hardly shows the depth or adventure in Alkan's music, and so on and so forth. This of course is personal, and everyone will have different views. That is how it should be and if anyone cares to differ in in this thread I promise not to use my moderatorial powers to stifle free speech...
And if Alkan can get boring with over-familiarity as you say, how much does that also apply to Chopin and the like. Oh no, not another bloody revolutionary study. And if I hear another op9no1 (which is a dead copy of Field anyway) I shall eat pork on Good Friday with a clear conscience...
Regards
Fred