i have not yet had the courage to pony up to Thalberg. however i do like his music and piano writting (i.e. listen along w score, dream etc).
i pulled this from my my Hinson guide to the pianists repertoire 3rd edition, thought you might find it interesting, general advice is be forewarned, the technique required to execute his works is formidable. think along the lines of the hardest Liszt and similar works.
i excerpt here from two different parts of my book:
"...Sigismond Thalberg (1812–1871) Austria, born Switzerland
Thalberg was undoubtedly a man of great talent. He was highly esteemed by Anton Rubinstein and was called by Schumann a “god at the keyboard.” He was famous for bringing out the melody with the thumbs while surrounding it with elaborate figuration. It sounded as though he had three hands. The Sigismund Thalberg Society in the United States has done much to refocus and bring renewed interest to this composer. Most of his piano works were fantasies on popular operas of the day.
12 Studies Op. 26 (Ric). Contain many tricks of the trade. Most require a virtuoso technique. M-D to D. No. 3 available separately (Musica Obscura).
Sigismond Thalberg (1812–1871). Selected Works. “These volumes offer an abundant selection of compositions by the pianist generally regarded, along with Liszt, as the greatest virtuoso of his time. While perhaps best known today for his operatic fantasies (with their famous third hand technique featuring melodies surrounded above and below by arpeggios and other virutosic passage work), Thalberg in fact worked in a wide array of genres, including the caprice, nocturne, romance, scherzo, ballade, barcarolle, and sonata. All the different facets of Thalberg’s compositional career are represented here” (from the Preface
...."
GOOD LUCK PLESE POST TO AUDITION ROOM WHEN COMPLETE
Topic: Thalberg n° 1 op. 26