Vincenzo Maltempo: Alkan Etude op. 76 No. 3 "Rondo Toccata for hands reunited"
Highly idiosyncratic performance of Charles-Valentin Alkan's "Rondo Toccata in C".
Vincenzo Maltempo gives an epic performance of Quasi Faust, the 2nd movement, 30 ans from Charles-Valentin Alkan's daunting Piano Sonata, entitled "Grande Sonate Les Quatre Ages".
Australian pianist Piers Lane said: "Whenever I performed pieces like Quasi Faust with its demonic battle between good and evil and its audacious pianistic demands, the audience has been polarized: some listeners have dismissed its language as trite, others have thought it was the most exhilarating and involving piece they've heard in years. Alkan will always divide opinion, but nobody can deny the truth behind his music, what speaks with a unique voice. That's something to be prized in any period of history, and what makes Alkan's music still relevant in the 21st century."
