Charles-Valentin Alkan - 2 Nocturnes Op. 57 (audio + sheet music)

While precise dating is seldom possible with Alkan, it is generally assumed that publication, with few exceptions, followed composition fairly quickly. Thus, Richault's publication of Alkan's Second and Third nocturnes together as Op. 57, in 1859, suggests that some 15 years separate this oddly contrasted pair from the ravishing Nocturne No. 1 issued in 1844.
Where the latter would not be out of place in a program of nocturnes by Field and Chopin, the Nocturne No. 2 is a surprisingly fretful affair, nominally in B minor, whose repeated falling motif -- varied, extended, passed between the hands, and restlessly modulating -- wears an obsessive air. A contrapuntally involved central cantabile seems to smile through tears as it demands that the left hand manage, in awkwardly wide stretches, accompaniment and melodic articulation, playing against the right-hand melody with the utmost deftness. Georges Beck, who included the Nocturne No. 2 in his 1969 Heugel sheet music anthology of a dozen pieces, Oeuvres choisies -- an important item in the Alkan revival -- thought that "The poetry of the melodic line defies analysis."
The remark might better have been applied to the material of the Nocturne No. 3 in F sharp major. Taken at a whirlwind très vif pace and marked Appassionatamente, whose simple rising and falling contours were floated over triplets in rapidly shifting harmonies, it blithely suggests more than it says. Here, too, the melody passes between the hands, but with an air of deepening intimacy. Alkan's central Dolce e sostenuto section, in simple chords, recalls the religioso episode of Chopin's Nocturne No. 6 in G minor (Op. 15, No. 3), though without approaching his friend's ineffable eloquence. Alkan's piece may suffer by comparison, but taken on its own it is chastely intriguing and deliciously spun out to an enigmatically smothered conclusion. After the thunderous grandeurs of the stupendous Minor Key Études, Op. 39, issued in 1857, the Second and Third nocturnes capture Alkan working on a smaller -- indeed, intimate -- scale and concentrating his effects with, respectively, less and more success. The pair is dedicated "à son élève Madame la Princesse Catherine N. Orloff."
(AllMusic)
Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. Feel free to change the video quality to a minimum of 480p for the best watching experience.
Performer: Costantino Mastroprimiano (Brilliant Classics, 2014)
Original audio:
• Nocturnes, Op. 57: Noc...
• Nocturnes, Op. 57: Noc...
Original sheet music: imslp.org/wiki/2_Nocturnes,_Op.57_(Alkan,_Charles-Valentin) (Simon Richault, 1859)

[@m.n.1481]

0:00 - Nocturne in b minor, Op. 57, No. 1 7:00 - Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op. 57, No. 2 Thank you for these recordings. They are wonderful!

[@davidyoung6331]

The time signature is 3/8 but the font makes it look like 5/8. At least it does to me.

[@chp763]

Alkan...i could recognise his writing in a heart beat... Amazing works.

[@divinodayacap3313]

What’s his recurring distinct elements?

[@marcosomargonzalesquispe9917]

Sadly, the piano, not the pianist, does not make justice to this delicate work

[@thenameisgsarci]

If I remember correctly, this was played on a piano similar to what sounded like in Alkan's time. Let me double-check...

[@thenameisgsarci]

...yep, it was played on a Pleyel piano dated 1865.

[@thelonious76]

@@thenameisgsarci it's fascinating though : ) like Mozart on a '700 fortepiano, or '500 music with ancient tuning

[@paeffill9428]

@@thenameisgsarci I recall Alkan playing on an Erard not Pleyel

[@thenameisgsarci]

@@paeffill9428 I know that, of course, but I did said "a piano similar to what sounded like in Alkan's time", not "the piano that Alkan owned".

[@NFStopsnuf]

Beautiful collection. It's a shame my first listening experience was bothered trying to figure out why the time signature was 5/8, ultimately finding out that it's just the print that makes the 3 look like a 5

[@thenameisgsarci]

Errors are common back then, if there's anything I knew about in this channel. XD

[@marcusliber8865]

I was excited seeing 5/8 in an Alkan piece and was prepared to feel the pulse and was left profoundly bamboozled

[@boltzee5122]

@@marcusliber8865 Ever listened to his 12 etudes op 35? The 12th is in 10/16

[@daniloberaldo570]

Alkan's musical work is the best path to musical progress!

[@LuisKolodin]

To me, Alkan's second nocturne is far more elaborared and with deeper content than any of his other 3. It's also quite demanding. Even in sonority it is unique, while first nocturne is quite obvious in its piano writing.

[@MrInterestingthings]

How on earth did I ever misjudge Alkan so unfairly , harshly and he says so much in this vein .Brahms might have thought better of him . This is remarkable the blighted Berlioz wildness that Berlioz can manage is not here and I didnt know Alkan had access ! He is worthy of respect . I iscovered him when I was about 12 when I found a music book Lewenthal had put out in the 1970's . Not overly sentimental and tasteful without the usual bombast . If Busoni found time -so should I The 2nd shows depth and all kinds of compositional prowess ! Thankyou for showing me this !

[@LuisKolodin]

Alkan and Brahms are my favorite composers, alongside Ravel. All of them are structuralists. Their structure is very classical, tightly written, like Beethoven on steroids, and his focus in on timbre/color. The false myth of Impossible to play music by him has made several listeners and pianists avoid him.

[@PianoScoreVids]

Didn't know this one before! Great

[@thenameisgsarci]

😁👌

[@morganmartinez8420]

Please do weber's piano sonatas

[@thenameisgsarci]

I'm sorry, I don't do requests for the meanwhile.

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

Enjoyable frivolities! But Alkan should have really chosen another title than "Nocturne"-these sound like a joke in comparison to Chopin's.

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

Also it's a shame there aren't more recordings on historically appropriate pianos, imo they provide an interesting glimpse into the concert hall of the 19th century.

[@afriendlymusician3829]

These pianos sound much more intimate

[@thenameisgsarci]

His first nocturne should hit the spot for you then. That one doesn't sound like a joke.

[@thenameisgsarci]

Also, I actually misread your first sentence as "Enjoyable favorites!" I had to blink furiously. XD

[@steveegallo3384]

@@thenameisgsarci -- "Frivolities"? Like Bagatelles? Insignificant morceaux?