Alkan, a genius composer shrouded in mystery: The strange life of a solitary piano wizard

In the world of classical music, there are composers who have made a name for themselves in the world of classical music, while others have gone off into seclusion and disappear into obscurity. Adolphe Alkan (Charles-Valentin Alkan) is a perfect example of the latter. He is called the eccentric of the piano world. Even Liszt marveled at his skill and musicality, but he disappeared into a corner of history with a strange episode, almost unnoticed by the public.

In this issue, we will delve into the enigmatic life of Alkan and the fascination of his overly original music.

Genius pianist suddenly disappears

Alkan was born in Paris in 1813 and showed musical talent from an early age. At the Paris Conservatory, he was a Mozart-like child prodigy and quickly made a name for himself as a pianist. However, what made him stand out was that although he was active at the same time as Liszt and Chopin, he took a completely different approach to composition and performance.

Unlike Liszt's virtuosity and Chopin's delicate lyricism, Alkan's music was "eerily difficult, relentlessly virtuosic, and puzzling. His masterpieces such as "The Railroad," "The Twelve Tribes of Israel," and the gigantic "Twelve Exercises in a Minor Key," were so difficult that they made the audiences of the time tremble.

However, at the height of his career, around the age of 40, he suddenly disappeared from the public eye. Normally, a man of his talent would have traveled all over Europe to make a name for himself, but Alkan did not do so. Instead, he lived a life of seclusion for nearly 40 years, hardly ever leaving the house. Why did he disappear? The reason is still unclear.

◆ Was Alkan a "piano wizard" or a crank?

Listening to Alkan's music brings out the strangeness of his character.

Piano writing that Liszt described as "beyond human limits.
His magnificent compositions in which he attempted to reproduce the sound of an orchestra on a single piano.
A unique musical world that combines Bach-like polyphony and Beethoven-like compositional power.

Alkan was a composer who "did not know what he was thinking," though he deserved the title of "genius.

His work "Railroad," for example, is a superbly crafted piece that uses the piano to depict a galloping steam locomotive. It has the bizarre atmosphere of modern progressive rock, and people at the time would have asked, "Is this music?" It was such an unprecedented work that people at the time wondered, "Is this music? He also made a crazy attempt to arrange all of his symphonies and concertos so that they could be performed by a solo piano player.

In addition, Alkan avoided socializing. Although he was friends with Liszt and Chopin, he did not go out socially on his own initiative, preferring to stay indoors. It is said that at one point in his life he lived in a nearby bookstore, reading the Hebrew Bible, indicating his deep commitment to Judaism.

Too Strange Cause of Death: "Death by being pinned under a book" Theory

Alkan's cause of death is as mysterious as his life itself: he died in 1888 at the age of 75, and his cause of death was, to his surprise, "being crushed under a bookcase. His room was piled high with books, and the story goes that one day it collapsed and crushed him .......

However, there are many questions about this story. In fact, some say that he was old and infirm, and that a heart attack or another natural death was more likely. However, to highlight his mysterious image, the episode "he died under a book" seems more like him.

◆ Why is Alkan's music unknown?

Although born in the same period as Chopin and Liszt, Alkan's works were rarely performed. The reasons for this are as follows.

◆Too difficult
　His piano pieces demand such superb technique that only a few genius pianists can play them. As a result, the number of people who could play them was limited and it was difficult to popularize them.

◆Low name recognition
　He himself was not actively involved in performance activities, so his music was little known to the general public even before his death.

Too unique musicality
　Although his music was in the Romantic school, it was "incomprehensible" to the audience at that time because it incorporated dissonances and bold compositions as if it were modern and contemporary music.

◆ Nevertheless, Arcane is being reevaluated.

In the second half of the 20th century, Alkan's music gradually experienced a resurgence. Technical performers such as pianists Raymond Louis and Marc-André Amrand took up his works and began to reevaluate their unusual degree of difficulty and originality.

Once you hear his music, you will realize that he was not just a "buried composer," but a "solitary genius who challenged the extremes of piano music. Alkan's music may not be loved by everyone like that of Liszt or Chopin. However, once you enter his world, you will surely be enchanted by his magical piano music.

Now, do you dare to listen to Alkan's music?