Thalberg Moses Fantasy (complete)

Sigismond Thalberg's virtuoso fantasy on Rossini's "Moses in Egypt". This composition was played by Thalberg at his piano duel with Liszt. In the closing section, Thalberg certainly lives up to his nickname of "Old Arpeggio".

Thalberg's compositions are very rarely played nowadays. His operatic transcriptions make up a large proportion of his output, and while as a collective whole Liszt's are better, I think that Thalberg's best transcriptions are worthwhile pieces of music, in some cases every bit as good as Liszt's, and certainly deserve to be heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKAPOHHGrvo to view the final thematic section on its own.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• liszt
• thalberg
• piano
• virtuoso
• fantasy
• fantasia
• operatic
• transcription
• arpeggio
• rossini
• moses

[paopaomanalansan]

Hello, may I download this video?

[alkanliszt]

@paopaomanalansan yes, of course I don't mind, there should be plenty of software around to do that.

[juufa72]

"Liszt owns thalberg. No competition. Liszt could have eaten those arpeggios when he was studying with Czerny..." -pkjpiano

I respect your opinions and I will not slander you with vulgar language. Instead I'll just ask you a simple question: how much Thalberg have you listened to? If this is the only composition, then I suggest you listen to more with an open mind and then reconsider your lambast. If you listened to all, then that is equally as good.

Peace,-jg

[bluematrix109]

lol!! i admire your humility! i think u could b a whale of a pianist if you chose 2 b!! haha!!

[Deneb33]

It's strange how so many great composers are forgotten or little played. Even people like Hummel and Moscheles who were considered titans in their day. Everything is Beethoven, Liszt, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Schumann. Not that that is undeserved. They certanly were fantastic composers. But so many others with extraordinary talent are simply ignored. And Anton Rubinstein's piano concerto no. 4 is never played but it's equal to anything out there.

[felixdevilliers1]

@alkanliszt Thanks, I now understand - I read you carelessly - that I was listening to the Moses Fantasy. I'm reading the Schumann biographies and diaries for the umpteenth timeand I actually want to hear some of these Thalberg and Liszt Fantasies that were regularly main features on her programmes until, at the least, 1844.

[alkanliszt]

@felixdevilliers1 Both the Barber of Seville (op. 63) and Moses (op. 33) are Thalberg fantasies on Rossini, but they're completely separate: the Moses Fantasy is from Moses in Egypt (now rarely performed). re Clara Schumann she did play (in her youth) quite a lot of repertoire that wouldn't normally be stylistically associated with her e.g. Thalberg and Henselt.

[felixdevilliers1]

@alkanliszt What do mean by Barber of Seville? Isn't it the Moses Fantasy? I'm interested because the Moses Fantasy was a regular feature on Clara Schumann's programmes until well into her marriage. She admired Thalberg's playing..

[John11inch]

Lol dude. What's with the crushed velvet?

[alkanliszt]

@goldberg72 This video is me playing; the Barber of Seville fantasy is on youtube played by Valentina Lisitsa.

[goldberg72]

@alkanliszt What's the pianist?

[dalecampbl5]

wow, this is the same melody paganini used in his Moses Variations, now I'm interested in hearing the whole opera