I was not previously familiar, at all, with the work
of Thalberg or, for that matter, to a great extent, with the Rossini
works on which these piano fantasias are based. My knowledge of Rossini
is largely confined to the overtures and has been refreshed more recently,
though indirectly, via ASV's recordings of "tribute" pieces by English
composers (Gordon Jacob's The Barber of Seville Goes to the Devil
and Eric Fenby's Rossini on Ilkla' Moor!). This disc is a reissue
of one originally available on Marco Polo (8.223366) and several of
Naxos's recent issues with similar provenance have made for captivating
listening (the discs of Malipiero, rare Janáček
and, above all, Martinů's The Epic of Gilgamesh are,
to my mind, essential purchases). Therefore, my first hearing of this
CD was one made in no little hope, despite the idiom (piano virtuoso,
Liszt contemporary/rival) not being one of my main musical interests,
although my immediately preceding listening (another Naxos new release
- Japanese Orchestral Favourites!) was not perhaps the ideal preparation.
Surprisingly, the music is often reflective, lyrical
and quite relaxing, rather than the pianistic tour de force I
had steeled myself for. The fantasias on Il barbiere di Siviglia
and Moïse are a little more energised than those based on
Semiramide and La donna del lago, but I actually preferred
the latter pieces for their greater (to my ears at least) inherent melodic
inspiration. The Gramophone review of the original release, despite
being positive overall, described the disc as likely to appeal only
to "a specialised ultra-nineteenth-century taste", something I would
tend to disagree with. In fact, at times, in the quieter moments, it
almost seemed like there was one of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's extended
improvisations on the CD player (meant as a compliment). So, although
the music was a pleasant, if generally less than spine tingling, experience
for this listener, I suspect that there are plenty of others (for example,
aficionados of Liszt's piano music and, in particular, his transcriptions)
who would find it, at the very least, interesting and maybe even quite
a revelation. The quality of the playing of Francesco Nicolosi, and
also the recording, leave very little to be desired but the booklet
notes, despite having plenty of information on Thalberg himself, unfortunately
concentrate on the plots and histories of the Rossini operas rather
than give any details about these fantasias drawn from them.
Neil Horner
Francesco Nicolosi, piano