Sonate de Concert in E Major, Op. 47 for cello and piano; Charles-Valentin Alkan (Gems Music Publications)

Urtext. Edited by Kenneth Martinson. Instrumentation: Cello and Piano

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888) was a French pianist and composer who was highly regarded to be among the leading piano viruosos in Paris, along with Chopin. The vast majority of Alkan's works are for the piano, and this Sonate de Concert (1856) is one of two works for solo strings and piano.

The first movement is very reminiscent of the tumultuous yet strict adherence to the "Beethoven-esque" sonata structure like his violin and cello sonatas, while the difficult final movement "Alla Salterella" (an energetic Italian or Spanish Dance for one couple with leaps and skips) is full of Italian flavor and influence, making for a diverse, yet uniquely unified work.