Description

The cycle of variations Le Festin d'Ésope by Charles Valentin Alkan is derived from his monumental series of etudes op. 39, the 12 Études dans tous les Tons Mineurs, and represents the culmination of that work. Now, G. Henle Publishers presents the first Urtext edition of what is widely considered Alkan's most renowned piano composition, known for its extreme virtuosity. With no surviving autograph manuscripts, the first edition from 1857 serves as the sole source material. Alkan scholar Wolfgang Rathert provides details about the composer's life and oeuvre in the preface, while Italian keyboard virtuoso Vincenzo Maltempo, who has recorded numerous Alkan works, contributes fingerings. Due to popular demand, this long-overlooked composer now takes his place in the prestigious Henle Urtext catalogue.