II.Adagio, continued. Played by John Ogdon, 1969.

From the sleeve notes by Sacheverell Sitwell: 'Alkan's concerto for solo piano is a monumental work, to which the notice 'Keep Out' is applicable where the unwary amateur is concerned. He would be well advised instead to Mr Ogdon, and it is indeed a stunning and most wonderful performance. The first movement (Etude No.8), which plays for 25 minutes or more, can perhaps be explained as Alkan's attempt to adapt both orchestral and solo effects and aspects of a concerto to the single instrument alone: or more briefly, to do for the concerto form what Liszt acheived in his adaptation for the piano of both vocal and piano parts in his settings of songs by Schubert or Schumann. Or, in other words, a piano concerto by Alkan arranged by himself for piano solo; hence his alternating expressions of 'Solo' and 'Tutti' in his score. It is one of the peaks of virtuoso playing and of obsessive effect, inducing one to wonder whatever sort of person this hermit-recluse could have been, alarmingly astrologer- or alchemist-like of aspect, to judge from the portraits, with his Chinese-juggling feats of pianism and his illegitimate son. Listen again, remembering that this is the work of a solitary who shunned success or popularity, and there is something both movingly pathetic and at the same time a little weird in the deceptive simplicity, the almost occasional inadequecy of the material that he works up into such a frenzy of intricacy and complexity!

The 'Qausi-trombe' marking in the coda and the drum tappings in the following Adagio (Etude No.9), of funereal preoccupation, are favourite devices with Alkan, whose two "military" pieces, 'Capriccio alla soltadesca' Op.50 No.1 and it's companion 'Le Tambour bat aux champs' Op.50 No.2, both of them replete with drumming effects, are becoming almost popular from more frequent hearing. The finale (Etude No.10) is in the form of a bolero, liberally interpreted, with curious hints and echoes of the 'Rakoczy March', so dear to Liszt and Berlioz, and here given dazzling and unwearying performance by this great artist and champion of forgotten or neglected causes. There is no one to equal John Ogdon in this respect, and perhaps no Englishman has ever played before as he can at his best, when interested'.

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