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

Fantasy on Moniuszko's "Halka" (date of composition unknown)

For Geisterschiff

*Note about this performance: the score I used may differ from the edition Ponti plays from, as he omits some notes and passages altogether.

Carl Tausig (1841-1871) was one of the greatest piano virtuosi of the 19th-century, hailed by many as the successor of Liszt and rivaled only by Anton Rubinstein. Critics who heard him perform noted his power and technical precision as like an alchemy of the best of Liszt and Bülow. At the age of fourteen, Tausig met Liszt and became his youngest and one of his favorite pupils. As a proponent of Music of the Future, Tausig also befriended Wagner and helped raise money to build the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. Tausig toured extensively throughout Germany and Russia, receiving enormous acclaim, but died suddenly of typhoid at the age of 29.

In his brief career as a composer, Tausig composed a small number of works including the now-lost piano concerto and a few symphonic poems. Only a handful of solo piano pieces and transcriptions have survived. It is in the latter genre that Tausig's name still exists in concert recitals, namely for his transcription of Weber's "Invitation to the Dance." In addition, he left an impressive corpus of difficult solo piano transcriptions of Liszt's symphonic poems.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• liszt
• reubke

[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.

[Geisterschiff]

Dear Hexameron, what can I say?

THANKS A LOT!

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

[MagicDonDino]

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

[MrOliverKjaerulff]

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

[RichardMartin2]

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

[jpctrp]

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

[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!

[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.

[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?