Thalberg

[nicko124]

I am curious about this composers music. Can anyone tell me  some information regardign him including:-

-availability of his works both recordings and sheet music.

- How well known is he?

- How difficult are his works.

- I have heard that Liszt used the ''Three hand effect'' which was inspired by Thalberg. Can anyone explain good Thalberg pieces that use the ''three handed effect''?
The Liszt piece that uses the method is Un Sospiro which I have learnt.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I think most (if not all) of the sheet music that I've seen has been published by Musica Obscura.

There are a number of recordings on Naxos and Marco Polo by Francesco Nicolosi. I believe there was a series of Thalberg discs recorded by Victoria Power, but I have never encountered them. There are also a number of discs in which Thalberg features, but is not the main content (e.g. Earl Wild's Great Pianists disc, which has two lengthy operatic fantasies).

Outside the world of piano enthusiasts, I would say he is not well known at all. He is really only known to connoisseurs of romantic pianism.

I can only really speak for the difficulty level of the operatic fantasies and the "Soirees de Pausilippe" (which are pretty straightforward), as I've not seen the others. He did in fact write a sonata, but operatic fantasies form a very significant percentage of his output. The fantasies require a sound technique, as one would expect from a pianistic competitor to Liszt.

Perhaps the most famous (notorious?) three-handed effect in Thalberg's music occurs in his "Moses" Fantasy (almost two minutes of continual arpeggios!). There are plenty other three-handed effects elsewhere; it is used regularly in the higher opus-number fantasies.

[nicko124]

I think most (if not all) of the sheet music that I've seen has been published by Musica Obscura.

There are a number of recordings on Naxos and Marco Polo by Francesco Nicolosi. I believe there was a series of Thalberg discs recorded by Victoria Power, but I have never encountered them. There are also a number of discs in which Thalberg features, but is not the main content (e.g. Earl Wild's Great Pianists disc, which has two lengthy operatic fantasies).

Outside the world of piano enthusiasts, I would say he is not well known at all. He is really only known to connoisseurs of romantic pianism.

I can only really speak for the difficulty level of the operatic fantasies and the "Soirees de Pausilippe" (which are pretty straightforward), as I've not seen the others. He did in fact write a sonata, but operatic fantasies form a very significant percentage of his output. The fantasies require a sound technique, as one would expect from a pianistic competitor to Liszt.

Perhaps the most famous (notorious?) three-handed effect in Thalberg's music occurs in his "Moses" Fantasy (almost two minutes of continual arpeggios!). There are plenty other three-handed effects elsewhere; it is used regularly in the higher opus-number fantasies.

Thanks for the info. I am going to check it out.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I found this site which may be of interest: https://www.centrothalberg.it/discografia.htm

I'm going to make a request on this thread too:
I'd rather like to get hold of a score of the aforementioned "Moses" Fantasy, so if someone could help me out, it would be much appreciated.

[nicko124]

I found this site which may be of interest: https://www.centrothalberg.it/discografia.htm

I'm going to make a request on this thread too:
I'd rather like to get hold of a score of the aforementioned "Moses" Fantasy, so if someone could help me out, it would be much appreciated.

I am going to request it on GFF, i'll tell you if I get it.

Any1 here got a recording?

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Yes, Roberto Cappello live at Schloss vor Husum.

[nicko124]

sheet music : https://www.gamingforce.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1607&d=1142346137

I cannot look at it now because i am at work but i will check it out later.

[thalbergmad]

I am curious about this composers music. Can anyone tell me  some information regardign him including:-

-availability of his works both recordings and sheet music.

- How well known is he?

- How difficult are his works.

- I have heard that Liszt used the ''Three hand effect'' which was inspired by Thalberg. Can anyone explain good Thalberg pieces that use the ''three handed effect''?
The Liszt piece that uses the method is Un Sospiro which I have learnt.

Thalberg is largely forgotten nowadays and apart from the collection of works recorded by Nicolosi, most pianists seem to ignore him.

As an exception, Katsaris, Hamelin and Wild have recorded single pieces, with Ponti chipping in with a couple.

Thalberg as a pianist and composer was the opposite of Liszt.

As a pianist, he was relatively free of movement and gesticulations and was really part of the classical school as Hummell (who taught him). As a composer, he was much less orchestral than Liszt and wanted his music to "sing".

His famous "Moses" fantasy, which was discussed earlier in this thread, is the one he played in his pianistic duel with Liszt. Many other of his fantasies include his "three handed" effect, notably the Rossini-Seriminade and Bellini-Sonnambula.

Some of his works can be extremely difficult, especially when you are required to play a trill with the fourth and fifth finger of your left hand and bring out the melody with your thumb whilst your right hand is flowing up and down the keyboard.

I have a large collection of his sheet music other than the Moses which has already been posted on Gamingforce, should you require anything.

His music cries out to be played more often.

Thal

[nicko124]

Thalberg: Please could you post some of the ''three handed effect'' fantasies? I'm very interested in this.

[thalbergmad]

Thalberg: Please could you post some of the ''three handed effect'' fantasies? I'm very interested in this.

OK, here is my favourite, the Bellini-Sonnambula.

This is Thalberg at his best and a good example of his 3 handed effect.

Starting on page 7 after the broken octaves, Thalberg introduces the beautiful singing theme. On the next page, he introduces a trill in the right hand and you have to play the theme again, but in the left hand only. If you play this correctly, it sounds like you have 3 hands.

Further on, on page 9, you have the same theme, but this time it is played by either the right or the left hand, surrounded by arpeggios.

Some of the good pianists on this forum might find this easy, but just those few pages took me well over 1 month. However, i now feel better prepared when i try out some of his other works.

This is not profound music and will never be popular, but i do feel it needs to be aired in public more often.

Go on, have a go.

Regards

Thal

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks for both the Moses and La Somnambula; I've added them to my Thalberg collection.
I'll take a look at Moses over the next month, as I've always fancied playing it.

[demented cow]

It would be cool if somebody could upload the score for the Don Pascale Fantasy. It doesn't seem to have the three-handed effect, but it has as much harmless light relief value as some of the Liszt opera paraphrases, and thus deserves more airplay.

A bizarre thing about Thalberg, according to Schonberg's 'Great Pianists', is that after he'd made enough money to retire from public performance, he sold his piano and seems never to have played again. He must have been either only in it for the money, or a weirdo like Gould (who also said stuff about not really liking the piano and only playing the piano to finance his retirement).

[nicko124]

A bizarre thing about Thalberg, according to Schonberg's 'Great Pianists', is that after he'd made enough money to retire from public performance, he sold his piano and seems never to have played again. He must have been either only in it for the money, or a weirdo like Gould (who also said stuff about not really liking the piano and only playing the piano to finance his retirement).

Interesting. I wouldn't have expected such a genius composer and pianist to do something like that. It seems very strange that Thalberg would ditch something that defined his life - music and the piano, maybe he got sick of it.

[thalbergmad]

It would be cool if somebody could upload the score for the Don Pascale Fantasy. It doesn't seem to have the three-handed effect, but it has as much harmless light relief value as some of the Liszt opera paraphrases, and thus deserves more airplay.

A bizarre thing about Thalberg, according to Schonberg's 'Great Pianists', is that after he'd made enough money to retire from public performance, he sold his piano and seems never to have played again. He must have been either only in it for the money, or a weirdo like Gould (who also said stuff about not really liking the piano and only playing the piano to finance his retirement).

Here is the Pasquale, hope you like it.

Thalberg was one of the first of the great European pianists to tour America and in 1855 he earned $150,000 dollars. I am not sure how much that would be worth today, but he was certainly a very rich man.

He therefore could afford to retire in some comfort and he no longer needed to play.

As an artist and a composer, he probably thought he had nothing left to say. Whilst Liszt's music developed and looked towards the 20th Century, Thalberg's stood still, which is probably one of the reasons his music was eventually forgotten.

I do hope some of the people on this forum will try some of his music.

Thal

[klavierkonzerte]

well i tried his moses and it's one of my abseloute favorite piano pieces
it's i piece that i lose myself into specially the magestic part in d minor befor the cantabile.
i didn't learn the whole thing i only learned some parts of it and read throu some other parts.

his latravia and trovatore are also nice.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I believe Thalberg retired from piano-playing to concentrate on his vineyards. He was the first pianist of note to tour South America (around about 1850 or so). Nice to see Don Pasquale posted; I have to say I am very fond of the Earl Wild recording of this.

[superstition2]

This disc isn't worth buying in my opinion. Banal.

[thalbergmad]

This disc isn't worth buying in my opinion. Banal.

That disc IS worth buying in my opinion.

[demented cow]

Thanks for posting the Don Pascale,Thalbergmad.
It looks less difficult than I had feared, though certainly not easy (for me at any rate).
I can't wait to get home & try this puppy out.

[thalbergmad]

Thanks for posting the Don Pascale,Thalbergmad.
It looks less difficult than I had feared, though certainly not easy (for me at any rate).
I can't wait to get home & try this puppy out.

Good luck.

[universo]

HELLO NICKO 124:

I am very happy with you contribution of Fansie of Thalberg

I have a cuestion:    Could you tell me, please, how can I access to the thread of sheet music of GFF where you posted this Thalberg's Fantasie?

I canīt find since the last reconstruction 


Thanks for all,

Universo.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

After some time spent working on Thalberg's Moses Fantasy, I must say what a pleasure it is to play through.  Good melodic material, very pianistically arranged.

[gilad]

i saw that disc at the store the other day, i'm going to buy it.

[thalbergmad]

After some time spent working on Thalberg's Moses Fantasy, I must say what a pleasure it is to play through.  Good melodic material, very pianistically arranged.

It is indeed lovely.

I look forward to you posting a recording.

Regards

Thal

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Did you know the Thalberg Competition is in 3 weeks time? https://www.centrothalberg.it/premiothalberg.htm