Charles Alkan (1813-1888) Charles Henri Valentin Morhange, the "Berlioz of the Piano", active in Paris at the time of Liszt, still being excavated by musical archeologists. His monolithic works are still intact and almost untouched. The reason is soon obvious, as the pieces are of phenomenal difficulty, minimal musical content, and interminable length (#7, Finale, alone is 122 pages). There are attractive melodic and rhythmic motifs, occasional passages of unusual figuration, some imaginative development. The harmonic poverty, and mammoth "blow-up" soon pall, and it is easy to understand why they have remained buried, while a 50-sec piece of Chopin is immortal. The Etudes in Minor Keys listed offer a sample of exhibits in the museum. These horrendous marathons are for pianists with unflinching endurance, fabulous technic, unlimited leisure, and preferably with tone-deafness.