The Portuguese piano virtuoso and composer José Vianna da Motta (1868–1948) understood the importance of Alkan’s music long before its current rise to prominence. He made a number of transcriptions to foster its performance, arranging eight of the organ Prières for solo piano and some of the music for pédalier – the obsolete pedal-piano – for piano duo and duet.

With Alkan’s own music for solo piano now recorded almost in its entirety, these recordings reveal an unsuspected treasure trove of more Alkan gems for solo piano, piano duet (four hands) and piano duo (two pianos).

At almost 84 minutes in length, this CD is almost at the technical limit for the medium, but the music just manages to squeeze on!

Vincenzo Maltempo (b. 1985) is a graduate of the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome in the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale Incontri col Maestro in Imola. He is also one of the founders of and teachers at the Imola Piano Academy (‘Talent Development’) in Eindhoven in The Netherlands. He is one of the few pianists ever to perform the complete set of Alkan’s Douze Études dans les tons mineurs¸Op. 39, in a single concert. His earlier recordings include Liszt for Gramola and Alkan for Piano Classics (Naxos).

Emanuele Delucchi (b. 1987) studied at the Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini in Genoa and is also a composer: some of his most recent works have been published by Musicisti Associati Produzioni (MAP) in Milan.