Sigismond Thalberg - Grande fantaisie et variations sur Norma Op. 12 (audio + sheet music)

Considered one of the finest virtuoso pianists of the mid-1800s, Sigismund Thalberg's entire life was intimately and professionally connected with the opera. He made a name for himself as a composer and performer by almost restricting his playing to his own fantasias on famous opera arias, many of which were by Mozart, Rossini, Meyerbeer, and Verdi, among others. He also arranged opera productions, married the daughter of the opera singer Luigi Lablache, Mme. Boucher, and even wrote two of his own operas, Florinda (1851) and Cristina di Svzia (1855), both of which had little success.
Details of Thalberg's upbringing remain unclear, especially those regarding his ethnicity and actual birth parents, who are thought to be either Prince Moritz Dietrichstein and the Baroness von Wetzlar or Joseph Thalberg and Fortunée Stein. While studying at the Polytechnic School in Vienna in 1822 and preparing for work in the government, he took up music, and his early teachers include Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Mittag, and Simon Sechter. He began performing in public at the age of 14 and his appearances of this type in the late 1820s led to an 1830 tour of Germany and his appointment as Kammervirtuoso to the Austrian emperor in 1834. Between the late 1830s and 1850s Thalberg toured the world over with artists such as Bernard Ullmann, Strakosch, and Henri Vieuxtemps, traveling to the United States, Brazil, Belgium, Holland, Russia, and Spain. He finally settled in the 1860s in Posillipo and died there in 1871.
Aside from his dozens of piano compositions, many with orchestral accompaniment, Thalberg wrote several Lieder and two chamber works, all of which are of uncertain value. His reputation as a lyrical, clear performer greatly exceeds that as a composer; for example, at one time Liszt remarked that "Thalberg is the only artist who can play the violin on the keyboard." Indeed the younger pianist's talents were exceptional as he devised a two-handed piano technique that produced the effect of several dozens of fingers on the piano (although credit for is also given to Francesco Pollini and Parish Alvars). Whereas his orchestral and chamber works are only occasionally recorded, his instrumental pieces can be heard under the ASV, Marco Polo, Philips, Danacord, and Vanguard Classics labels.
(AllMusic)
Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to a minimum of 480p if the video is blurry.
Original audio: • Video
(Performance by: Francesco Nicolosi)
Original sheet music: imslp.org/wiki/Grande_fantaisie_et_variations_sur_'Norma'%2C_Op.12_(Thalberg%2C_Sigismond)

[@thenameisgsarci]

whuhw, messed up that title card. also, i really would like to apologize, aside from being way behind schedule because i'm lazy, derp, i'm having some trouble with the order of requests, having to skip a couple of them for reasons of being unable to get the materials on time, so some of you might need to wait longer. i'm really sorry.

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

Thank you!! ☺

[@pawncube2050]

Huh didn't expect you suggesting Thalberg xD

[@Medtszkowski]

Come back to KZbin or I’m unsubscribing and reporting for terrorism

[@thenotsookayguy]

​@@pawncube2050 Thalberg is really cool.

[@musiclover148]

I used to read about Thalberg, but I don't know whether I ever heard this much of his music. Thanks! His music sounded better than I might have expected. The surprising chromaticism in the fugue approaches the writing of Cesar Franck. The performance has some excellent qualities, as well.

[@cambridgeport90]

I want to pick up a book on this composer now...considering I had never heard of him until KZbin.

[@johannlee4671]

The Liszt piece is a "reminiscence" piece, so he used 7 motifs from Norma, while Thalberg wrote a fantasia and variations on Norma. Correct me if I am wrong but I hear only two themes from the opera in the Thalberg, both of which were also used by Liszt. One can argue this piece is more about Thalberg than Norma, whereas the Liszt is more about Norma than Liszt, though Liszt unashamedly "improved" Bellini's music. I think in this case the improvements worked, even if Bellini might not have approved had he lived to hear the piece. I am gradually warming to the Thalberg. I am still shocked that this piece is what Brahms chose to play in his first public concert (albeit a joint concert with other artists) in 1847.

[@JamesBower-yj6ew]

It was a good choice of Brahms - this piece is really challenging to interpret well.

[@cambridgeport90]

You wonder how many of these composers actually knew one another, and to what extent? I can see how they'd be pulling melodies off of one another and borrowing them (something that was encouraged back then, unlike today, ashamedly.) Either way, when I first heard Thalberg, I warmed to his music immediately. He and Liszt have a very similar musicality to them, and I'm a fan of both. The runs in this remind me very much of Liszt.

[@kapellmeisterr]

​@@cambridgeport90fantasies where a wonderful way to keep the opera melodies in people's heads, some operas already have fantasies as overture so the composer had only to publish the piano reductions.

[@cambridgeport90]

@@kapellmeisterr It's quite beautiful,that's for sure.

[@marcorval]

I find Thalberg to be a very mixed bag. As a staunch Liszt fan, I pay close attention to individuals who had a lot to do with his life, such as Mr. Thalberg. I don't enjoy a lot of his original works that much and find that while he was superb in technique and texture he ironically fell short as a melodist. This seems to me most apparent in works like the Sonata in c minor and Grand Fantasy Op. 22. Then there are others that sound nicer such as the Op. 45 Study, Nocturnes, and Scherzo. The operatic paraphrases are in general more entertaining to hear, and are generally around the same level of musicality as Liszt's. Feel free to share your favorites if so inclined. ​@@cambridgeport90

[@zanexiao4488]

I was reading a few concert reviews from 1830s Paris, a lot of them praising Thalberg for his ability to make the piano "sing" more than anyone, and since opera was so big in Paris and public concert of instrumental music was still new, Thalberg's "singing" style was well-loved. Its really fascinating to learn just now that he has written and played so many operatic fantasies, perhaps to please his audiences.

[@marinadela1361]

13:42-14:25 this part sounds absolutely gorgeous

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

14:25 it seems both Liszt and Thalberg had the idea to have these two themes be played simultaneously.

[@unidentifieduser5346]

Is it coincidence

[@therealransu]

@@unidentifieduser5346Maybe not. This piece was composed in 1834, while Liszt's Norma was later on in 1841 so maybe Liszt was inspired from this Thalberg transcription.

[@marcorval]

Additionally, Liszt's Norma uses the famous Thalbergian arpeggio storm technique (melody in the bass, continous arpeggios in the upper register). Whereas Thalberg's "La Sonnambula" transcription used Liszt's interlocking octaves. After their duel, they clearly studied each other.​@@therealransu

[@niccolomaldera]

The themes used are: @ 0:00 Intro @ 1:45 ?? @ 6:47 Dell'aura tua profetica @ 10:22 Commosso è già

[@user-jc4kh1ts7k]

Яка чудова нагода почути забуті твори віртуоза 19 століття Тальберга! Велика подяка каналу за цю можливість. Сподіваюсь , що буде подовження цього циклу.

[@marcorval]

Liszt's Norma was apparently his diss track to Thalberg...

[@Felix_Li_En]

Fantastic work ! A question for long time : Were Thalberg and Alkan friends, too ?

[@gbritaney]

I like this channel because I get to listen to amazing music. The Adagio in this is so beautiful❤️🎶

[@FrankLin-du7ww]

Norma is my most favorite opera, and I am familiar with all melodies. But unlike Liszts Norma fantasy, I find that Thalberg's work contains several melodies which are strange to me in the front part..

[@______el]

Im going to learn this, Bellini/Chopin casta diva, Thalberg Casta diva and Liszt Reminiscence de Norma

[@ieuandavies9380]

gotta love some thalberg

[@user-ru8vy1uz7c]

Bravo bravo bravo brilliance music super

[@marcalexandrefontenay9801]

Une paraphrase brillantissime de Norma de Bellini par le concurrent et collègue de F Liszt Sigismond Thalberg beaucoup moins célèbre mais si attachant. Je conseille son très beau concerto pour piano op5 . Nicolosi superbe !

[@Kalen1457]

Great upload Glenn! This is a bit more spontaneous and impromptu sounding than Liszt's overly-bombastic take on this simply theme. You should do a score-upload of Thalberg's etudes op.46. No.5 in particular is quite magical. The music from the first wave of Romantic Austro-Germanic composers(Liszt, Thalberg, Tausig, Schumann) were without a doubt the pinnacle of piano composition...that with Alkan, Rachmaninoff and Leopold.

[@thenameisgsarci]

I'm afraid I can't do your request.

[@declamatory]

Francesco Nicolosi: "Repeats are for peasants!"

[@eberhard9039]

Große Klasse: Stück und Pianist

[@federicosilva5402]

Grandiosa esta musica

[@user-lj1sc9bs4t]

Bravo～❣️🤙🏼✨

[@gadxxxx]

Stephen Heller wrote a lot of terrific music. Would love you to cover some of his opus numbers. eg 45 46 47 125 etc.

[@thenameisgsarci]

I'm afraid I can no longer accept any more requests.

[@gadxxxx]

@@thenameisgsarci () Teardrop

[@juicedelemon]

damn, those french publishers use wierd notations

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

Any composers out there?

[@fryderykchopin1381]

Aram Khachaturian what have you said?

[@Kalen1457]

I'm one, but I've yet to achieved immortality status like you or Fred, Liszt, Thalberg, etc...

[@niccolopaganini4268]

@@Kalen1457 But you won't lol

[@Kalen1457]

​@@AndreiAnghelLiszt I know I won't. I'm nowhere near that level of imagination; that comment was thinly veiled sarcasm. It's sacrilege to say otherwise.

[@nikitalvov40]

@@niccolopaganini4268 wow you must be a fun friend

[@melonica90]

06:46

[@marcorval]

Early Thalberg. It seems his famous three-handed technique hadn't yet been devised given it seems to be absent here.

[@marcocampus7943]

Grande lavoro. Ma viene inevitabile paragonarlo con la fantasia sulla norma del contemporaneo listz..e beh...non c'è paragone.

[@foxiszt]

I legitly though that this is Liszt, didn't read the title though.

[@PieInTheSky9]

Liszt's Norma paraphrase is way better.

[@foxiszt]

Ikr, liked Liszt's more than this.

[@senortenpiedad8515]

I don't remember where, but Thalberg and Liszt got into a piano battle!

[@AndreiAnghelLiszt]

@@senortenpiedad8515 They did indeed. Liszt played his fantasy on Niobe and Thalberg his Moses fantasy and the verdict was essentially a draw. Much respect to Thalberg for holding his own against the King of all pianists!

[@senortenpiedad8515]

@@AndreiAnghelLiszt That would have been awesome to see!

[@lifestyleastherapyafterstr9423]

Personal timestamps 9:42 sextuplets repeated notes and octaves melody

[@jcl9792]

13:42 14:25

[@kokositosalvatore]

1:20 ≠ Scherzo No.1

[@kimsahl8555]

A grande fantasie by a little composer.

[@morganmartinez8420]

A stupid comment from a douchebag.

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

Shut the fuck up and go back to the dumpster in hell where you belong, dumbass troll.

[@Reichthoff]

I feel like it would sound better if this was played faster.

[@usernamehyt]

much more inferior than Liszt in terms of both emotional depth and technical

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

He Richard That is a reason why Liszt is such a famous composer to this day and why others have been forgotten

[@ValzainLumivix]

Perhaps

[@Piflaser]

No, Same Level!

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

@@Piflaser No

[@Piflaser]

@@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven I love Liszt very much, but I guess also the subtle polyphony of Thalberg. He is less brilliant but intimate.

[@user-pq8xh8tk9u]

can you do chopen revoluttionary etude please

[@GUILLOM]

chopen

[@vine2197]

chopen

[@Lavirfra]

chopen

[@therealransu]

chopen

[@only4wotbhwqcb569]

Wtf holy shit

[@gayerest]

A lot more fun that Liszt's, IMO.

[@armpiano]

The sound so harsh and ugly...nothing to do with the art of bel canto of which Thalberg speaks in "L'art du chant appliqué au piano"

[@Chorizo727]

Better than Liszt's Norma at least

[@p-y8210]

@@Chorizo727 nope

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

@@Chorizo727 Definitely, definitely NOT.

[@JamesBower-yj6ew]

@@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven I would say they are 2 different styles of composition and is up to the listener to which one is better. To most audiences, Liszt's is more enjoyable; however, I do like the fact Thalberg expanded more on his chosen themes - even including original ideas in the composition.

[@marcorval]

You sure? 10:22 and afterwards is magic.