Thalberg: Fantasies on Operas by Verdi, Rossini & Bellini - Francesco Nicolosi, piano

A student of Hummel, Sigismond Thalberg was one of the great virtuoso pianist-composers of the 19th century, who enjoyed a celebrated rivalry with Liszt that was largely fomented by the press. Thalberg’s influence on fellow pianists was enormous and his operatic paraphrases and fantasies, designed for his own use in concert performances, proved exceptionally popular. Even Liszt himself performed several of them. Berlioz praised Thalberg as the creator of ‘a new art’ and the thrilling examples here, taking the best-known themes from great Italian operas, reveal bravura embellishments and ingenious elaborations.

Thalberg, Sigismond

 Grande fantaisie de concert sur l'opéra La traviata de Verdi, Op. 78

 Grande fantaisie de concert sur l'opéra Il trovatore de Verdi, Op. 77

 Souvenir de Un ballo in mascera de Verdi, Op. 81

 Souvenir de Rigoletto de Verdi, Op. 82

 Impromptu sur des thèmes favoris de l'opéra Le Siège de Corinthe de Rossini, Op. 3

 L'art du chant appliqué au piano, Op. 70: No. 19. Casta diva, cavatine de Norma de Bellini