“Seemingly, most of the releases to celebrate Alkan’s bicentenary this year are by Piano Classics” (Top Ear). Indeed, with or without Bicentenary, Piano Classics wishes to share its enthousiasm and passion for Alkan, that neglected genius composer for the piano. And especially happy when presenting pianists capable to do justice to the colossal difficulties of this awesome music, like young Italian virtuoso Vincenzo Maltempo, whose earlier Alkan CD for Piano Classics (PCL0038) received the highest praise from international critics: “Exhilarating, a real revelation, 5 Stars” (The Guardian), “Imaginative, intelligent, utterly convincing, 5 Star”(Diapason). On this new recording (more is to come this year!) Maltempo plays the famous Le Festin d’Ésope, the seldom played Trois Morceaux dans le genre pathétique” (with the hauntingly beautiful and chilling Morte, a foreshadow of Ravel’s Le Gibet!), the Ouverture in grand quasi-orchestral style, and the fiendishly difficult Sonatine. An exciting release for all lovers of transcendent pianism!
