Alkan: Character Pieces & Grotesqueries Mark Viner

• Charles Henri Valentin Alkan (1813 - 1888): Petit conte:
• 1Alkan: Petit conte03:59
• Pour monsieur Gurkhaus:
• 2Alkan: Pour monsieur Gurkhaus01:09
• Jean qui pleure et Jean qui rit, due fughe da camera:
• 3Alkan: Jean qui pleure et Jean qui rit, due fughe da camera: I. Jean qui pleure03:22
• 4Alkan: Jean qui pleure et Jean qui rit, due fughe da camera: II. Jean qui rit04:40
• Toccatina, Op. 75:
• 5Alkan: Toccatina, Op. 7501:47
• Désir, fantaisie:
• 6Alkan: Désir, fantaisie04:00
• Capriccio alla-soldatesca, Op. 50:
• 7Alkan: Capriccio alla-soldatesca, Op. 5006:45
• Le tambour bat aux champs, esquisse, Op. 50bis:
• 8Alkan: Le tambour bat aux champs, esquisse, Op. 50bis04:00
• 9Alkan: Fantasticheria03:44
• 10Alkan: Chapeau bas!, 2da Fantasticheria07:59
• 2 Petites pièces, Op. 60:
• 11Alkan: 2 Petites pièces, Op. 60: I. Ma chère liberté!..04:07
• 12Alkan: 2 Petites pièces, Op. 60: II. Ma chère servitude!..04:56
• Quasi-Caccia, caprice, Op. 53:
• 13Alkan: Quasi-Caccia, caprice, Op. 5305:28
• Le chemin de fer, étude, Op. 27:
• 14Alkan: Le chemin de fer, étude, Op. 2705:00
• 3 Petites fantaisies, Op. 41:
• 15Alkan: 3 Petites fantaisies, Op. 41: I. Assez gravement05:02
• 16Alkan: 3 Petites fantaisies, Op. 41: II. Andantino05:30
• 17Alkan: 3 Petites fantaisies, Op. 41: III. Presto06:09
• Total Runtime01:17:37

Info for Alkan: Character Pieces & Grotesqueries

Mark Viner’s survey of the complete solo piano music of Alkan continues to turn up discoveries and reveal previously little-known or misunderstood sides of a protean figure in late French romanticism. Viner himself regards Alkan as ‘the most enigmatic figure in the history of music as a whole’.

The sixth volume of his survey focuses not on the grand cycles which have won this series such uniformly glowing reviews, but on sketches and miniatures which demonstrate Alkan’s capacity to charm as well as astound and dazzle his listeners. All these pieces are further illuminated, as before, by his own comprehensive booklet notes.

Several of them will be unfamiliar to all except the most dedicated of Alkan connoisseurs. Jean qui pleure et Jean qui rit is a pair of two ‘chamber fugues’ inspired by Voltaire’s account of a man who goes, with great ease, from a state of depression in the morning to making merry in the evening. The Capriccio alla-soldatesca also has a poetic origin, as a paraphrase of an evocation of a night-watch – the subject of Rembrandt’s most famous canvas – by Joseph Christian von Zedlitz. Le Tambour bat aux champs is its companion piece, underpinned from the outset by a relentless ostinato of drum beats as a noble theme emerges, dignified and laconic.

Better known, the Toccatina Op.75 can be counted among Alkan’s finest shorter pieces for the piano, demanding phenomenal dexterity and lightness of touch. At the other end of the expressive scale, Désir is a little fantasy, one of Alkan’s most homely-sounding miniatures, yet still coloured by his characteristic use of the ninth.

Previous volumes in the series have demonstrated to listeners and critics that Mark Viner is the pre-eminent Alkan interpreter of our day. Jeremy Nicholas remarked in Gramophone: ‘It takes a certain kind of temperament and a superior finger technique to take him on. Those who cut the mustard are few and far between. Mark Viner is such a one.’ Reviewing the most recent volume, he noted: ‘Viner responds to the composer’s unique voice with great sensitivity and imagination.’ The series looks set to claim definitive status.

Mark Viner, piano

Mark Viner
26, is recognised as one of the most exciting British concert pianists of his generation. His playing is notable for its individuality, tonal allure, musical integrity and technical mastery. He began playing at the age of 11 and two years later, he was awarded a scholarship to enter the Purcell School of Music. There he took lessons with Tessa Nicholson for the next five years. Another scholarship to him to the Royal College of Music where he studied with Niel Immelman for six years and graduated with both first class honours in a Bachelor of Music degree and a distinction in Masters of Performance.

He has given acclaimed performances at London’s Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square and Royal Academy of Art. Engagements in his hometown of Oxford include recitals at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building and a public masterclass with Lang Lang at the Sheldonian Theatre, while earlier in the year he was invited to play for the Royal visit of H.R.H. Prince Charles, later making his début with the Oxford Philomusica Orchestra at the Sheldonian Theatre under the batôn of Marios Papadopoulos.

After being awarded 1st Prize at the C.V. Alkan – P. J. G. Zimmerman International Piano Competition in Athens last year, invitations abroad have continued to flourish. While having travelled for concerts at the Achilleion Palace of Corfu and the Megaro Moussikis of Athens, his official début in the Hellenic capital was hailed by the press as the most important musical event of 2012. Following his Athenian triumph, he was elected Honorary Board Member and Special Music Advisor of the C.V. Alkan – P. J. G. Zimmerman International Music Association as well as Honorary Member of the Gina Bachauer International Music Association.

Awards received in previous years include a bursary from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust and the Sarah Mundlak Memorial Prize for Piano which he received for having gained the highest mark in the year for his final recital in the Royal College of Music.

Booklet for Alkan: Character Pieces & Grotesqueries