Charles-Valentin Alkan

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888) was a French-Jewish pianist and composer based in Paris; while his career as a virtuoso got off to a brilliant start, he withdrew from concert life at age 25, remaining reclusive and mysterious afterward. His 12 Études in All the Minor Keys (1857) contain a symphony and concerto for solo piano that are among his most famous works, along with Le chemin de fer (1844) and his notorious Funeral March for a Dead Parrot (1858). Alkan's music is eccentric, technically difficult, often well in advance of its time and noted for its mocking, devilish sense of humor.