COMPOSERS: Thalberg
LABELS: Titanic
WORKS: Grande Sonate in C minor; Scherzo in C sharp minor, Op. 31; Nocturne in A flat, Op. 21/1; Nocturne in E, Op. 28
PERFORMER: Ian Hominick (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: Ti-227 DDD (distr. TradeLink)
Here’s a happy find for explorers of Romantic piano music. Thalberg, like his contemporaries, Chopin and Liszt, was a virtuoso pianist-composer. His original works have been eclipsed by his numerous fantasies on music by others, but some of his textural innovations rubbed off on composers greater than himself, not least Robert Schumann. The Grand Sonata is ambitious, skilfully crafted and full of felicitous ideas. This, and the other pieces, perfectly suit Hominick’s enviable technique. Wadham Sutton
Thalberg
Here’s a happy find for explorers of Romantic piano music. Thalberg, like his contemporaries, Chopin and Liszt, was a virtuoso pianist-composer. His original works have been eclipsed by his numerous fantasies on music by others, but some of his textural innovations rubbed off on composers greater than himself, not least Robert Schumann. The Grand Sonata is ambitious, skilfully crafted and full of felicitous ideas. This, and the other pieces, perfectly suit Hominick’s enviable technique. Wadham Sutton
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:39 pm