Tausig - Fantasy on Moniuszko's "Halka" (Part 1/2)

[MrOliverKjaerulff]

Does anyone know what's the aria/chorus called that starts at 5:00?

[jpctrp]

the composition has been written somewhere around 1848-58 (two premieres of moniuszko's halka)

[brandonok14]

Michael Ponti is so awesome. He never gives a damn if he hits a wrong note or worries about playing to the metronome. He just plays the shit out of everything they put in front of him. I loved the old Vox recordings, it makes me wish some of these new technical machines would take a cue from the guy, and just let it hang out in this Romantic music.

[alkanliszt]

@brandonok14 The Vox recordings were made on a very limited budget. I've been told that some of the instrumental recordings actually used an upright.. also that they didn't have the budget to pay Ponti accommodation expenses and he slept on the floor of the recording studio!

[cedricrlongreen]

Wow Hexameron I have to hand it to you. You have the best videos on youtube and a lot of people had no idea about these pieces or composers. Thank you sooooo much. You're a valued youtube user.

[kasyapa]

i say it again - we know where cziffra got his figurations now. :)

[Composerland]

thanks for your work in putting all this together. your channel is truly interesting.

[f1f1s]

6:40 - end is a very close reminiscence of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodi 6 quasi cadenza part! So surprising to hear it!

[iplongnin]

Tausig's opera fantasies are more "unabashedly virtuosic" that Liszt's?

[SordidGuy]

Quite boring and mundane! Also, the piano is in severe need of tuning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BofferBings]

I do not think the piano is out of tune -- the problem is likely the bad audio compression you get on YouTube. Piano music especially suffers -- I have had to upload my piano clips in HD just to get better sound.

[Rlaw2222]

calling this amazing would be an understatement.

[demosj]

WTF, this looks totally unplayable. What a technical feat Ponti pulled off.

[yenyenlim1]

somehow it's like ballade no2 liszt..

[ncheung1357]

very Lisztian

[SailorVVV]

has to be one of the greatest things i've ever heard. why isn't he famous

[eethove]

Does anyone have the mp3 to this monumental piece?

[MagicDonDino]

Ponti is very heavy-handed pianist!!! It's incredible!!!!

[lisztaholic]

I use to have this CD which also includes Tausig's "Ride of the Valkyries" transcription, but lost it - so it's great to find it here. This is vintage Tausig - tremendous bravura, awesome use of the low register and octaves galore. You're right about Ponti being a heavy-handed pianist. I once heard his recording of the Liszt BACH Fantasy, and boy does he lay into the keys! A thrilling pianist and a wonderful post.

[lisztaholic]

I would like to add that I cannot express enough joy at finding your post of the mighty "Halka", and with the score! It was on my mind for years, but I was never able to re-order the disc. This work stands alongside the composer's monumental Ballade, "The Ghost Ship" - both are inexplicably neglected and both deserve more performances. The colossal passage beginning at the end of the 2nd page is something that only Tausig could write.

[Geisterschiff]

Dear Hexameron, what can I say?

THANKS A LOT!

Tausig's art is alive and well for everybody to listen!

[Lukecash12]

thank you. i didn't think anyone would have Tausig.

[sanctusignis]

This recording seems so...right. This is more of a "nationalistic" piece, so to speak. I don't know, in the higher register of the piano, there seems to be that metallic quality, sort of like when some strings are out of tune slightly, giving it that "metal phase" type of sound. It just really fits the piece well.

[Hexameron]

And it's the right piece for the right performer: Ponti is an unabashedly heavy-handed pianist and Tausig was known for playing with strength and producing colossal volume.

[RichardMartin2]

@Hexameron Sounds like an ideal piece for Nyiregyhazi, therefore ...