LDV11_FLIPBOOK

I wanted to showcase all the composer’s facets, in

a multifaceted way. The

Grande Sonate Les quatre

âges

, is a colossal, gigantic work, a sort of romantic

ideal of the sonata, which undoubtedly influenced

Liszt’s.

As a counterpart to this great work, I selected

shorter pieces, like the

Esquisses

, which show a

composer who could capture a moment in time.

And then I also selected a number of pieces that

are both visionary and “anchored” in their era.

The

Barcarolle

is reminiscent of Mendelssohn and

prefigures Satie, as with

les soupirs

for Scriabine

and even Debussy. While the

Nocturne

is similar

to Chopin’s opus 32,

Les cloches

and the

Prélude

La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer

illustrate

Alkan’s fascination with realism, everyday life, the

strange and the extraordinary.