Composed during Alkan's reclusive period in Paris, this minuet from Trois Menuets Op.51 showcases his signature technical demands and harmonic audacity. Dedicated to his brother Gustave, the piece contrasts graceful Classical form with Romantic expressiveness, featuring dramatic pauses, wide leaps, and bell-like G/F# juxtapositions that musicologist William Eddie suggests pay homage to Beethoven's Hammerklavier Scherzo.
Charles-Valentin Alkan's Minuet in G Minor, Op. 51 No. 2, is part of a set of three minuets composed in 1859. A distinctive feature of this piece is its sophisticated use of harmony, including chromatic shifts and appoggiaturas that create a sense of desolation. The trio section showcases Alkan's expertise in writing for the high register of the piano, while the coda incorporates an ostinato pattern beneath a flowing Schubertian melody. The work is dedicated to the composer's youngest brother, Gustave Alkan.
