Charles-Valentin Alkan - Trois Marches quasi da cavalleria, Op.37 (Viner)

Mark Viner, piano
Courtesy of Piano Classics, recording available at:
www.piano-clas...
Trois Marches quasi da cavalleria, Op.37
No.1 Molto allegro (0:00)
No.2 Allegro vivace* (5:08)
No.3 Allegro* (9:43)
*First recordings
Alkan’s Trois Marches quasi da cavalleria, Op.37 - (Three Cavalry marches)
appeared in 1857 when they were published by Richault alongside a host of
other works comprising some of his very finest music. They were dedicated
to the French soldier and politician, Gustave Olivier Lannes, Comte de
Montebello (1804-1875) and are presented here for the first time in their
entirety on disc: the second and third of the three being first recordings.
The first, like the second and third of the set, is in ternary form and is an
archetype of Alkan’s uncanny ability to harness such modest musical material to sinister effect. In the key of A minor and marked Molto allegro, the theme of the first march is wrought entirely from a mere three-note oscillation which, reshuffled at each iteration and governed by a relentless ostinato, proves a catalyst of unexpected and disturbing power. A slapstick trio in F major, complete with a blaring fanfare, then ensues before giving way to a more lyrical episode featuring a Neapolitan colouring over a grinding tonic pedal note. The mock-military fanfare then returns and peters out before the reprise of the opening march. Now a shadow of its former self, the three-note oscillation takes on a more sinister aspect. No longer in clean-cut octaves, it grinds against an obstinate low C deep in the bass, engendering a gravelly, rugged timbre. While postulating the limited compass of Alkan’s instrument as a possible reason for this curious voicing, Ronald Smith (1922-2004) rightly cautions against the temptation to rewrite this passage in octaves; its effect being far more original than mere octaves could muster. But by 1857, Alkan was in full possession of the three bottom bass notes on the piano, which were added by the Erard firm a decade earlier, testifying that the writing was, indeed, a conscious decision rather than a compromise in view of a limited compass. Bypassing the previous sequence of events, the music short-circuits to a vociferous interpolation in B flat major no sooner than to be cut short by an incessant pile-up of triplets in chains of thirds and sixths underpinned by a twelve-fold iteration of that self-same ostinato. Driven by the same single-minded impetus, it mounts, as implacable as fate, to its inexorable close.
The second of the set, marked Allegro vivace and also in A minor, is just
about the most obstinately four-square thing Alkan ever wrote. Like its
companion pieces, it is in ternary form, comprising a trio, and is rounded
off with a robust coda based on ideas from the latter. The opening section,
anchored stubbornly in the home key of A minor, requires all the conviction
in the world to raise it from mere flat-footed pomposity and, together with
its mock-musique militaire and brash vociferousness, it very nearly takes off. It is rescued from the brink of banality by a quizzical trio in the tonic major where the hands are stacked one above the other and the right must sustain a legato melody while the left hops hither and thither in staccato triplets around it - quite impossible to play as written, what with shared notes and the human hand being as it is and as a result, demands considerable redistribution. A truncated reprise of the first section witnesses the main theme declaimed with greater vigour the second time round where it is clad with thorny flourishes before the coda ensues. Comprising ideas harvested from the trio and briefly taking on a more heroic aspect, it runs its course, stony-faced, to its grim close.
In stark contrast to its companions, the third, marked Allegro, is the more
whimsical of the set. In the contrasting key of C minor, its neat, straight-laced writing and rhythmic obstinacy brings to mind Schubert’s forays into the march genre. Like its siblings, it is in ternary form where the main section is interpolated by a central trio before a closing coda. With disarming grace, the chattering opening section tiptoes quaintly through a host of different keys, each iteration with a variant here and there, be it a different voicing or a mildly chromatic tinge. The trio, rooted in the home key, then ensues and is of the variety that knows precisely where it is going; its click-clack symmetry and guarded step momentarily interrupted by an assault of brusque octaves which caution us against becoming too comfortable. The truncated reprise is then subjected to a host of crawling variants before a sinister shadow of the trio emerges and peters out when, all at once, a blaring coda based on the opening theme in the tonic major, takes the march by the scruff and summarily rounds things off.
-Program notes by Mark Viner

[@teodorb.p.composer]

Alkan was pure genious. He is my most favourite composer and I am glad, that you are sharing his underrated work!

[@4candles]

Love them. They may be foursquare in parts, but are far from dull, with plenty of original traits that confirm the individuality of their composer.

[@classicfan4683]

Extreme Musik... Meisterhaft bewältigt!

[@danielvidalmialoviez5763]

Thank you sharing this beautiful music!

[@AdmirableSmithy]

Excellent: a really sharp performance of these interesting pieces

[@aakarshitsingh1535]

Great!

[@AlkanLove]

❤❤❤🥰🥰🥰

[@aymericpetel9685]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@kitbuiz]

third march.
Someone called Alkan - Mendelssohn on steroids

[@derby2510]

That’s what I consider a lot of his music. That and there’s something sinister about Alkan that I can’t put my finger on. Quite a lot I can enjoy though.

[@happypiano4810]

@@derby2510
It’s the low octaves in the bass with the really old harmony. The wide range and the octave doubling make the counterpoint very “heavy”, and that is surprisingly sinister.

[@yuk_notkim7658]

Sorry to say that even though Alkan is one of my favorites, this one isn't for me.

[@leesean1794]

I think alkan is the most unplayable composer😳

[@SCRIABINIST]

Sorabji

[@franzurjisorabliszt]

Sorabji

[@leesean1794]

Sorry but i really don't wanna regard that as "music"

[@yannaischrire7327]

@@leesean1794 WTF why? It’s not even atonal (I’m not saying atonal pieces aren’t music). It’s completely tonal and beautiful

[@ethanhu4960]

@@yannaischrire7327 Sorabji music are not tonal, compared to romantic composers lol