Lyrics

Flayzerannyx (Friday 7th of November 2008 08:33:13 AM)

After reading alot of comments about alkan's emptiness, i'd like to present my view. I feel that virtuoso writing is just another way of expressing your music especially if you have the ability to execute the music you've written. Such is the case for Liszt, Alkan, Thalberg and the likes - these virtuoso elements are present in their music because they can execute it themselves, and thus chose to use them to achieve the musical EFFECT that they desire.

Flayzerannyx (Friday 7th of November 2008 08:42:41 AM)

Of course there must have been an element of desire for showing off for these composers. But surely after a while they must have gotten used to showing off? And surely we can see that virtuoso elements persist in their music from young to old. That is why i feel virtuosity, while most obviously having the use of showing off, also should be treated as another avenue of musical expression.

Flayzerannyx (Friday 7th of November 2008 08:50:25 AM)

Not to say that Chopin, Brahms etc. weren't phenomenal pianists, but we have to admit to the transcendental level of pianists like Liszt and Alkan - which is why the superultravirtuoso avenue of expression manifested in the music in this video is only open to those selected few. For Alkan's Op. 39, I urge haters to look past the virtuosity and into the music he is trying to convey - it is ridiculous that he wrote such a GIANT Opus just to show off his skill.

Flayzerannyx (Friday 7th of November 2008 09:01:19 AM)

For those who HAVE tried to look into his musicality and have not found beauty, I hope you'd take a second try. Alkan does have a style of short motifs and bursts, which may sound like random bangings, but looking at the bigger picture I do find beauty in his virtuoso works. For those who are more concerned about complexity of chord progressions defining musical depth, I must say while good command of complex harmony does entail musical depth, good music does not necessarily need complex harmony

Flayzerannyx (Friday 7th of November 2008 09:15:21 AM)

My POV is that Alkan might be striving for a more raw form of beauty, rather than an abstract form - raw being manifested in the endless variety of performance elements built on relatively simple chords. He capitalised on the resource that he was so blessed to have FULL access to, that is technique and ways of playing a tune. Of course my argument might be wrong, but I hope it presents another way of looking at virtuosity for all those haters of 'showing off'-virtuosity out there.

trigalg693 (Friday 14th of November 2008 12:04:31 AM)

For most very difficult pieces, they are hard not because the composer intended them to be, but because the composer wanted to achieve a desired effect. The technical difficulties are a side effect in a way.

Flayzerannyx (Friday 14th of November 2008 07:45:47 AM)

agree totally.

JlDsanity (Sunday 26th of October 2008 11:17:15 AM)

This is a rediculous performance. Hamelin is too amazing...

mvs1312 (Thursday 30th of October 2008 05:05:08 PM)

so is alkan!

JlDsanity (Saturday 1st of November 2008 03:15:52 PM)

Alkan as well lol they're both major inspirations to me