And finally, the first recording (before Hamelin!) of Alkan's solo piano transcription of and cadenza for Beethoven's piano concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, 1st movement. The pianist is Thomas Wakefield, a shamefully barely-recorded long-time Alkan advocate. youtu.be/RqLZREF3vAo?... (6/6)

Third, we have a concertino-style piece: Rondo Brillant, Op. 4, which can be played with strings or as a solo piano work. Christine Stevenson and the Morhange Ensemble deliver an athletic, yet light and playful performance of this juvenile work. It is VERY difficult (5/6) youtu.be/7uNL6FSOcH4?...

The next rare recording is the great Cliburn gold-medalist Olga Kern performing the beautiful Etude in G major, Op. 35, No. 3 on a radio show. I was able to tune in live and record the audio. Astounding performance of a piece I am especially fond of! youtu.be/rOAzcEhKXWk?... (4/6)

Here is a link to the recording. There is still a warmth and lyricism that I greatly appreciate: youtu.be/0lYa2Ug0o1o?... (3/6)

It is worth noting he likely had a limited time to learn and record this beast of a piece after winning the record label's competition, so there are some misreadings, slow tempos, and sections cut altogether, but it is still fascinating to finally be able to hear this extremely rare recording (2/6)

Beyblade VForce Ultimate Blader Jam for GBA is a 7/10 at best and one of my favorites. I recently did a playthrough to make sure it wasn't just nostalgia, and it holds up nicely!

It gets worse every year, even though I always know it's coming and really enjoy fall and winter.