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The Complete Alkan Organ Works Volume Ii

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Joseph Nolan, an Australian organist born in the United Kingdom in 1974, studied under Marie-Claire Alain. In 2004, he was appointed organist at the Royal Chapel of St. Jamess Palace, where he has performed numerous times at Buckingham Palace and also presided over the inaugural concert for the palaces restored organ. The long-awaited second volume of his ongoing series, the Complete Organ Works of Alkan, is now available. Alkan, known for his unconventional piano compositions, was such a virtuoso that he won the Premier Prix in the organ department at the Paris Conservatory in 1834; however, he rarely set foot in venues with organs, instead pairing himself exclusively with an Erard pdalier piano (a piano with organ-like pedal keys). His organ works all require virtuosic technique; in particular, the 12 Etudes for the Pedals unfold an astonishing world that is hard t