ALKAN
Grand Duo Concertante (Violin Sonata) op 21
Cello Sonata op 47
Trio in G minor op 30
Trio Alkan: Rainer Klaus (piano), Kolja Lessing (violin) and Bernhard Schwarz
(cello)
Recorded June 1991
NAXOS 8.555352
[75.13]
Crotchet AmazonUK
AmazonUS
Though Charles Alkan (1813-1888) has had his champions (notably Ronald Smith
and earlier in the twentieth century, Busoni), his music still remains largely
unknown. As a piano virtuoso he was regarded as the equal of Liszt; and some
have claimed that the technical demands of his many compositions for piano
outstrip even those of Liszt himself. However, unlike Liszt, Alkan was reclusive
by nature, not given to self-promotion and preferred to devote himself to
composition rather than a career as a concert pianist. He composed no orchestral
music, however, which alone would explain why his never became a household
name and why he remains one of the most enigmatic figures in 19th-century
music.
The three chamber works on this disc (which was first issued in 1992) represent
Alkan's only departures from works for solo piano, though even here the piano
dominates - at times, overwhelmingly. They certainly offer a clear insight
into his musical world - effortless fluency, ferocious technical demands,
unusually dissonant harmonies for their time and many surprises. But alongside
the fireworks splutter many damp squibs. Take the Cello Sonata, for instance.
I find it impossible to agree with the unnamed sleeve-writer who claims for
it 'an important position, significant in the development of the form'. The
second movement Siciliano is a very lightweight affair - no more than
salon-music, and the third movement Adagio is just plain dull. But
all is forgiven when we reach the Saltarello of the finale - a dazzling
display of virtuosity, vitality and imagination.
The other two works are more rewarding. L'Enfer (the slow movement
of the Violin Sonata) is highly unorthodox, both in its harmonic language
and its alternating passages for piano and violin. The slow movement of the
Trio in G minor also features unusual interplay between the instruments
and is crowned by a searing climax of extraordinary intensity. A continuous
stream of semiquavers makes for a very exciting finale.
Overall, on this evidence I would have to say that while Alkan's output was
uneven in quality, he certainly commands respect; and I would recommend this
disc to anyone curious to explore the music of a composer who is more written
about than performed. The players take the technical demands in their stride
(some impeccable, high-lying violin octaves in the violin sonata, for instance,
and thunderous piano double octaves throughout). The recorded sound is generally
fair.
Adrian Smith
