Pixis & Thalberg: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 58)

Featuring

Howard Shelley
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Johann Peter Pixis
Sigismond Thalberg

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Critical Reception

For many years, Sigismond Thalberg was considered by some to be Liszt's equal, or even superior, as a pianist and composer.

Performer Biography

Howard Shelley, the pianist and conductor on this album, has recorded complete cycles of Rachmaninov's solo piano works, concertos, and songs.

Composer Biography

Both Pixis and Thalberg retired prematurely, Pixis to teach in Baden-Baden and Thalberg to grow vines in Posilippo, and were largely forgotten by the musical world before their deaths.

Composition History

Both Johann Peter Pixis and Sigismond Thalberg contributed variations to Liszt's piano extravaganza Hexaméron (1837), alongside other notable pianists like Chopin and Czerny.

Cultural Impact

Thalberg's innovative textural and pedalling techniques significantly influenced later generations of keyboard writing and are still relevant today.

Compositional Technique

Sigismond Thalberg's chief aim was to make the piano a singing instrument, famously achieving a 'three-handed' effect by dividing the melody between hands while playing brilliant figurations.