Thalberg Fantasy on La Traviata

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I believe this rarely heard work to be one of Thalberg's very best paraphrases and it's one of my favourite non-Liszt ones. It's probably one of the hardest things I've ever played, and I definitely underestimated it at first.

Official studio version:
https://soundcloud.com/andrew-wright-35/verdi-thalberg-concert-fantasy-on-la-traviata/s-IRr45

The full album can be found here:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-operatic-pianist/id825808704

I hope you like it!

[thalbergmad]

You have outdone yourself this time old chap. You have nailed this piece and it is absolute bastard to play. I cannot recall you playing better.

I struggled to think of anything that i could suggest to improve and could only come up with a slight overshadowing of the melody with your octaves starting at about 2.48. However, i expect this could easily be the recording.

This is really top notch playing and i doubt if many could do it.

You should really consider posting this on unsung.

Bravo

Thal

[ronde_des_sylphes]

You have outdone yourself this time old chap. You have nailed this piece and it is absolute bastard to play. I cannot recall you playing better.

I struggled to think of anything that i could suggest to improve and could only come up with a slight overshadowing of the melody with your octaves starting at about 2.48. However, i expect this could easily be the recording.

Thanks, there was a lot of work involved in this! Despite my gut feeling that such music is best left to the Wilds and Katsarises of this world, I'm more positive about this recording than I used to be. I do agree about the balance in the octave section. The piano was freshly tuned and perhaps a touch bright in the treble, but in an ideal world the octaves should be quieter. As my teacher said when I played the fantasy to him in class "I don't want to hear you practising your octaves!". Not that playing them leggiero and veloce is easy!

You should really consider posting this on unsung.

I am somewhat of an infrequent visitor there, and they seem more of an orchestrally based site, but maybe that's not a bad idea. I was going to post it here on Thursday, that being Thalberg's birthday (as I'm sure you're aware) but on impulse I did it early. So Thursday on UC perhaps!

[thalbergmad]

I really think it would be a good idea to post on unsung. There are some pretty influential people there and you never know where it might lead and your playing here is of such a standard that it warrants a far wider audience.

Those who have never played Thalberg are possibly unaware that he is usually far more difficult than he sounds, as you have to find and then extract the melody. It is only usually easy to maintain the singing line in the development stage. Afterwards, extremely delicate touch is required to keep the melody evident whilst you are being kept busy with octaves, trills, horrific alternate thumbs stuff and god knows what else.

I doubt there are many pianists alive that could do what you have just done and none that could do it without a good deal of application.

Bravo maestro.

[j_menz]

Indeed excellent work.

The piece deserves to be better known, as does your good work.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I really think it would be a good idea to post on unsung. There are some pretty influential people there and you never know where it might lead and your playing here is of such a standard that it warrants a far wider audience.

That's probably a fair point. There are a few industry people who are aware of my cd, and Divine Art have been good at getting it out to reviewers, but it can't hurt (especially when I'm seriously considering a sequel - the material is more or less chosen now).

Indeed excellent work.

The piece deserves to be better known, as does your good work.

Thanks: it is such niche repertoire though! Curious that Liszt never paraphrased the opera. Perhaps his friendship with the real-life Violetta (Marie Duplessis) had something to do with it. In any case, I think this is one of Thalberg's finest paraphrases.

[j_menz]

Perhaps his friendship with the real-life Violetta (Marie Duplessis) had something to do with it.

"Friendship" is such a 19th century way of putting it. 

I'm trying to think of a piece where both Thalberg and Liszt did paraphrases. You no doubt know their efforts in this territory better than me, but I have the initial impression they didn't much tread on one another's toes (or perhaps didn't enter crowded markets)?

[ronde_des_sylphes]

"Friendship" is such a 19th century way of putting it. 

Haha. 

I'm trying to think of a piece where both Thalberg and Liszt did paraphrases. You no doubt know their efforts in this territory better than me, but I have the initial impression they didn't much tread on one another's toes (or perhaps didn't enter crowded markets)?

Offhand, Robert le Diable, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Norma. La Sonnambula, Lucia di Lammermoor and Don Juan (plus both contributing to Hexameron) but yes, when you consider they wrote over 100 between them, there isn't as much overlap as might be expected. Of course, while history has them down as competitors, there were plenty other people around at the same time, also churning out paraphrases: Fumagalli, Prudent, Pixis, Herz, Moscheles et al.

[emill]

Thank you for this extremely appealing and beautifully played piece!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks emill, glad you enjoyed it!

[cbreemer]

Fantastic playing indeed ! Have you ever considered Godowsky's Strauss paraphrases ?

[rachfan]

Hi ronde,

Bravo!  Your playing of this difficult piece is very refined in every way.  It was a pleasure to hear this music, as it's seldom played, undoubtedly because of the high level of technique that it requires.  Marvelous!

David
 

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks to both of you. I'm very fond of this piece, largely because I feel it has more emotional range than many of its ilk.

Have you ever considered Godowsky's Strauss paraphrases ?

I looked at the Kunstlerleben a while back - it was fairly intimidating! I've been slightly constrained in my choices through having focussed on operatic material. Strauss paraphrases are practically a genre on there own as so many people have written entertaining ones, even objectively unexpected candidates like Reger! I like Godowsky's Tristesse (lh only from Chopin 10/3) but never sat down and learnt it thoroughly.