[Leica] Never judge a book by its cover: Brahms, Mahler

[ken at iisaka.org (Ken Iisaka)]

Must be something to do with Hamburg.  My piano was made in Hamburg,  
and the piano I covet too was made in Hamburg.

Just as I like my cameras made in Solms.

However, as for composers, I have been intrigued by an obscure French  
composer who was a contemporary of Chopin and Liszt.  The name is  
Charles-Valentin Alkan, and was a prodigious virtuoso, and his  
capabilities are evident in his compositions.

I am so intrigued by his compositions that I even had the nerve to  
play one in front of people with my very amateur hands:

Alkan Etude in g# minor, Op.39 No.8, performed at the Van Cliburn  
International Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Fort Worth, Tx,  
on June 3, 2007

http://stream.luxmedia501.com/?file=clients/cliburn/ 
Iisaka_Full_Final.wmv&type=wmv


On Oct 7, 2007, at 5:28 AM, Douglas Sharp wrote:

> Seems to be something to do with Hamburg :-)
> Brahms earned his money as a brothel pianist and everyone hated  
> Mahler - including Mahler ;-)
>
> Love 'em both - JB's "Variations on a theme from Haydn" was always  
> one of my all time favourites since my childhood, and still is.
> Brahms "German Requiem" is nearly on a par with Faure's for me.  
> Mahler is something superb for dreary autumnal sunday afternoons.
>
> Although  now I'm much more more partial to Bruckner, Britten,  
> Copland, Ives, Hindemith, Janacek, Milhaud,Villa-Lobos, some  
> Bermstein and just about anybody's Requiem, Mass or Stabat Mater  
> for serious listening and Delius, Dvorak, Poulenc, Lefebure-Wely  
> and Louis Moreau Gottschalk for lighter moments (nearly forgot  
> William Bolcom's piano rags - absolutely brilliant!!).
>
> Douglas
>
> BTW, I love choral music - a tradition in Yorkshire - being part of  
> "Sounding Brass and Voices" performing Parry's Jerusalem is a  
> breathtaking experience - but I could never get much further than  
> glorious Gilbert & Sullivan - my mother was an accompanist for the  
> Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society, so it was permanent background  
> music at home -  (and PDQ Bach :-) ) when it comes to opera/operetta.
>
> Philippe Orlent wrote:
>> Brahms digs too deep in the mind for me...
>> He's an instable romantic, I guess ;-)
>> Philippe