Alkan's Études dans les tons majeurs, Op. 35, and the stupendous Études dans les tons mineurs, Op. 39, are dedicated to Belgian historian, theoretician, and critic François-Joseph Fétis (1784-1871), whom he met as a student prodigy -- Berlioz encountered him at about the same time -- in the halls of the Paris Conservatoire where Fétis taught counterpoint and fugue from 1821.
Fétis' reviews show him to have taken an appreciative interest in Alkan from his youth. Fétis concludes a notice of the Marche funèbre, the Marche triomphale, and the Préludes (25) in the Revue et Gazette musicale for July 25, 1847, with the admonition, "An artist owes it to himself, his time and his century to allow his faculties full free rein. God does not grant these gifts without obligation." Alkan had already been absent from the concert hall for three years and would not appear again publicly until 1873. He answered Fétis on the day the review appeared, apprising him of a number of compositions held back. "They include a long sonata, a large scale scherzo, an overture for piano and studies, some of which are fashioned on a rather large scale," works, Alkan promised, "whose development is quite unlike those you have so kindly described."
The Grande Sonate would be published by Brandus the following year. But the overture would not see print until Richault's issue of the minor key etudes in 1857. Playing around 15 minutes, the Overture is a big-boned piece that immediately announces its symphonic ambitions in throbbing maestoso chords. The rich succession of themes, all of large stamp, prompted Sorabji to note the Overture as "A fine example of Alkan's orchestral pianistic style; here again crop up Beethoven-like turns of thought and expression." Like late Beethoven, spacious design coupled with a terse musical argument may discourage the casual listener. Even Ronald Smith, one of Alkan's most persuasive interpreters, could write, "I must admit that I had little inkling of the work's extraordinary power and originality until I had penetrated its technical armour-plating to tap the darkly turbulent undercurrents that lie locked within."
The Overture is the 11th etude in this set. Like Etudes Nos. 4-7 (the 'Symphony For Piano Solo') and 8-10 (The 'Concerto For Piano Solo'), No. 11 is orchestral in feeling and writing. It begins with rapid minor chords in both hands with the bass punctuating the tonality in octaves. There is a slight slackening of the intensity, and the rapid chords come forth once again. The music winds down to winds down to a pensive calmness. Once more the rumbling octaves in the bass quietly remind the listener of the beginning, then a section of very tender melody in the major comes to the fore and is expanded and varied. The next section is impassioned music that vaguely reminds the listener of the opening in feeling. It segues into a rippling statement of octaves in the right hand. This sections ends with chords and octaves up and down the keyboard until the music turns more quiet and ominous, then builds back to the octaves and chords. It alternates between the two until it reaches the last statement of the quiet and ominous. This leads to the coda, a brilliant theme in the major that rounds off the work.
(AllMusic, muswrite.blogspot.com)
Please take note that the audio AND the sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to a minimum of 480p if the video is blurry.
Original audio: • Alkan Overture, Op.39-11
Original sheet music: imslp.org
----------
FROM THE PHILIPPINES, I WOULD LIKE TO GREET YOU AND EVERYBODY OUT THERE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING ME AND SPENDING YET ANOTHER WONDERFUL YEAR TOGETHER LISTENING TO GREAT MUSIC FROM ALL THE CORNERS OF THE GLOBE. LET'S WELCOME 2016 TOGETHER, MY FRIENDS! ^_^
-- thenameisgsarci