THALBERG: Fantasies on Operas by Bellini

Nicolosi, Francesco

8.555498

Thalberg's Grande fantaisie sur des motifs de la Norma, Op. 12, won praise from Schumann, who generally had little time for mere technical virtuosity. There was about Thalberg's playing, and in consequence about his compositions for the piano, an element of classicism, and this certainly appealed to Clara Schumann and others who disliked the showmanship of Liszt and his habit of "improving" the music of others in performance. Thalberg exercised considerable discipline over his performance, his upright posture, he alleged, the result of smoking a meerschaum while practising technical exercises. Chopin, however, was not impressed, claiming that Thalberg used the soft pedal for his effects rather than securing a soft tone by touch, as he himself would have done. One particular effect used by Thalberg was displayed in the setting of a melody to be played by the thumbs of right and left hand, surrounded above and below by arpeggios, giving the impression of three hands rather than two. He achieved this in part by his subtle use of the sustaining pedal. Critics commented on his runs of pearl-like clarity and the singing tone of which he was capable, as taught in his pedagogical work, L'art du chant appliqué au piano, in which he uses examples drawn from opera.

CD x 1

Naxos

2001-06-18

747313549825