ALKAN : 12 Études Op. 39 (Jack Gibbons) 2CD (1995) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
Tracklist 1 :
Douze Études Dans Les Tons Mineurs, Op. 39    
1-3.    Études 1 - 7 & Miscellaneous Pieces
4-19. Symphony
Tracklist 2 :
Études 8 - 12
1-5. Concerto
Credits :
Piano, Producer, Liner Notes – Jack Gibbon

ALKAN : Twelve Studies in all the Major Keys, Op. 35 (Stephanie McCallum) (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Alkan's monumental Twelve Studies in all the Major keys, opus 35, is a virtuosic tour-de-force for the pianist. Each study develops an aspect of technique but each is also pure Alkan - millions of notes and thunderous drama. McCallum has been praised world-wide for her Alkan performances, displaying prodigious technique and poised musicianship. web
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1-6. First Suite
7-12. Second Suite
Credits:
Piano – Stephanie McCallum
Tuner [Piano Tuner] – Ara Vartoukian

ALKAN : Symphony for solo piano • Concerto for solo piano (Paul Wee) (2019) SACD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The backstory is a marketer's dream: pianist Paul Wee was a child prodigy who was playing concertos with major orchestras by 12, traveled to New York to study, but then abandoned his career to study law and became a successful London barrister. Except he didn't abandon it. Wee not only continued to play; he specialized in the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan, the mid-19th century composer whose works are still rarely recorded due to their sheer difficulty. In 2015 and 2016, he gave a pair of recitals at the Alkan Society in London, and a tape was sent to the BIS label in Sweden. The end result was this release, perhaps the first one to contain both Alkan's Symphony for Solo Piano and Concerto for Solo Piano. Both works, part of a larger series of etudes, are technically hazardous but find room for symphonic effects in the former and "tutti" and "solo" markings, Alkan's own, in the latter. Sample the 30-minute first movement of the Concerto for Solo Piano. It is a sheer storm of notes that taxes the stamina of any pianist who attempts it, but it contains expressive interludes to which Wee does justice. There are other recordings of Alkan on the market, notably those of Marc-André Hamelin, whose style Wee resembles, but there are none with a story as compelling as Wee's. James Manheim
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1-4.     Symphony For Solo Piano, Nos 4–7 Of Douze Études Dans Tous Les Tons Mineurs, Op.39    (26:16)
5-7.     Concerto For Solo Piano, Nos 8–10 Of Douze Études Dans Tous Les Tons Mineurs, Op.39    (51:30)
Credits:
Grand Piano, Liner Notes – Paul Wee

ALKAN : Esquisses, Op 63 (Steven Osborne) (2003) Two Version | APE & FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The renaissance of interest in the reclusive and eccentric 19th-century French composer Alkan has been one of the more interesting developments of the last part of the 20th century but it has usually been his massive and virtuoso works (the symphony and concerto for solo piano for example) which have made the biggest impression. Throughout his life though Alkan was also a miniaturist, as 25 Preludes and six books of Chants show, and this interest culminated in undoubtedly the greatest of these cycles, the Esquisses (sketches) here recorded. This set of 48 pieces plus a final Laus Deo runs through all 24 keys twice with the Laus Deo returning the double cycle to C major. A huge range of mood and colour is represented from simple folk song to etude, not forgetting the bizarre, as can be seen in the tone clusters of Les Diablotins or the schizophrenic Héraclite et Démocrite.

This cycle has only been recorded complete once before. With Steven Osborne applying his colour, virtuosity and interpretive insight we are confident we have produced a recording that will permanently raise the stature of these pieces in the musical world and add a significant milestone in the Alkan discography. Hyperion
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1-12. 48 Esquisses Op 63 - Book I
13-24. 48 Esquisses Op 63 - Book II
25-36. Esquisses Op 63 - Book III
37-49. Esquisses Op 63 - Book IV
Credits :
Piano [Steinway & Sons], Liner Notes – Steven Osborne
Front Illustration : Hercules and the Hydra (detail) (1875/6) by – Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)

ALKAN : Symphony for solo piano • Trois Morceaux dans le genre pathétique (Marc-André Hamelin) (2001) APE (image+.cue), lossless

 Marc-André Hamelin's first solo Alkan recording (CDA66794) met with the most superlative critical reception imaginable (culminating in Fanfare magazine's "one of the best releases of anything to have been made, a classic of the recorded era"). This follow-up proves to be no less spectacular.

The disc is framed by two of the 'monster' works for which Alkan is notorious. The four movements of the Symphony for solo piano are taken from his magnum opus, the 12 Studies in the minor keys Op 39. This piece has become one of Alkan's best known but never has its finale (once described as a 'ride in hell') been so spectacularly thrown off. The Trois Morceaux dans le genre pathétique are the earliest pieces in which Alkan's true personal style became apparent. These are three massive studies each with programmatic titles and an atmosphere of Gothic horror that requires a supreme virtuoso to tackle their outlandish technical demands. This is their first recording.

The recital is completed by three pieces of rather religious inspiration. While their scale and technical demands are those of a more conventional composer, their quirky sound-world and often sardonic mood confirm the composer as our reclusive Frenchman. Hyperion
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1-4.    Symphony For Solo Piano Op 39 Nos 4-7    (26:06)
5. Salut, Cendre Du Pauvre! Op 45 (8:40)
6. Alleluia Op 25 (2:40)
7. Super Flumina Babylonis Op 52 (Paraphrase Du Psaume 137) (6:30)
8-10. Souvenirs: Trois Morceaux Dans Le Genre Pathétique Op 15 (29:56)
Credits:
Piano – Marc-André Hamelin
Illustration [Front Illustration: 'The Ballad Of Lenore, Or 'The Dead Go Fast'' (1839) – Horace Vernet