Sigismond Thalberg (1812-1871)
Fantaisie sur l'opéra La fille du régiment, op. 68 (1852)
Grande Fantaisie sur des motifs de l'opéra Don Pasquale, op. 67 (c.1855)
Fantaisie sur l'opéra Lucrezia Borgia, op. 50 (1844)
Andante final de Lucia di Lammermoor, op. 44 (date unknown)
Introduzione e Variazioni sulla Barcarola dell' Elisir d'amore, op. 66 (1850)
Francesco Nicolosi (piano)
rec. 1991, Moyzes Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic, Bratislava, Slovakia
NAXOS 8.555502 [55]
You may find is sacrilegious but I have never been a huge fan of opera (Gilbert and Sullivan are the main exception). I typically find operas too long-winded and often contrived. Wagner is impossible, though I enjoy the “purple passages” often extracted for the concert hall. Yet, I know that many operas are full of memorable tunes I would not wish to miss. Rather than sitting for several hours in the theatre, I would approach the genre through the medium of the transcription. This disc gives a wonderful opportunity to enjoy many splendid extracts from five of Gaetano Donizetti’s (1797-1848) greatest hits, transcribed, arranged and reworked by the Austrian Sigismond Thalberg. It was originally released in 1991 (Marco Polo, 8.223365).
Thalberg remains in the shadows. His music seldom features in recital rooms or the recording studio. Even so, in his day he was very popular, rivalling even Franz Liszt. Felix Mendelssohn praised him, and Robert Schumann admired his “classical transparency”. It is commonly agreed that he was a greater pianist than a composer: his music cannot quite match the sheer invention, wit and drama of the Hungarian’s exemplars. Thalberg composed mainly studies, transcriptions, character pieces and arrangements for the piano. These include fantasies and variations on operas by Mozart, Weber, Rossini, Spontini, Bellini, Auber, Hérold, Benedict, Verdi, Meyerbeer and Halévy. In amongst all this operatic endeavour there are an admirable piano concerto, a piano trio and a sonata.
The first track here is my favourite. The Fantaisie sur l'opéra La fille du régiment explores Thalberg’s wide ranging pianism. There is a splendid balance between pyrotechnics, perfectly stated melodies, a march-like theme and a beautifully decorated melody which is sheer perfection.
Perhaps the greatest work on this disc in Grande Fantaisie sur des motifs de l'opéra Don Pasquale. This quarter of an hour tour de force is full of unforgettable melodies, complex pianism and an ever-present sense of drama, often restrained and rarely unbuttoned. One of the illusions presented here is that much of the work is played by three hands and not two. Maurice Hinson has written that this effect is achieved by creating a middle voice divided between both hands. It is a ruse Thalberg often used in his music.
Fantaisie sur l'opéra Lucrezia Borgia demands a careful balance between a brilliant technique and the ability to produce a deeply singing style. The opera’s libretto, derived from the eponymous Victor Hugo’s play, depicts the love of Gennaro for Lucrezia, and his premature death from poisoning. Donizetti’s highly improbable tale was premiered in 1833 at La Scala, Milan.
The earliest piece here is probably the Andante final de Lucia di Lammermoor, although the exact date would seem to be unknown. This powerful and dramatic work recalls the involved plot of suicide and murder.
The final track is Introduzione e Variazioni sulla Barcarola dell' Elisir d'amore. The theme is derived from the second-act duet Lo son ricco e tu sei bella (You are rich I am beautiful). It is sung by the quack Dr Dulcamara and the heroine Adina. This is an ideal set of variations, whether one listens to it in the context of the opera or as absolute music. I followed it with the score: it was a pleasure to see Thalberg’s superb pianistic constructions in print. These variations are often quite beautiful and always classically balanced.
Keith Anderson wrote the liner notes for the original release. They provide a satisfactory overview of Thalberg, the genre, and some discussion of each piece. The cover photo on the reissue is more dramatic than the bird’s-eye-view drawing of Paris on the Marco Polo cover. The sound recording does not suffer in any way for being nearly a third of a century old. Francesco Nicolosi gives a commanding and enthusiastic performance, exploring the lyrical magic and drama of Donizetti’s outstanding operas.
A reviewer of the original release noted that Thalberg’s operatic fantasies are “undeservedly neglected, overshadowed by Liszt’s”. This is a fair assessment. Schumann’s comment on classical transparency gives us a clue how to approach these delightful arrangements. Thalberg is urbane in his development of the given material. He is reputed to have performed his own music with little movement. He often smoked a meerschaum pipe as he played. There was no visible storming of the heavens or showmanship so beloved of Liszt. Despite the pianistic complexities of these Fantasies, they always seem to me based on good taste rather than flamboyancy for its own sake. This is a great way to enjoy the obvious glories of Gaetano Donizetti’s operas.
John France
