Don’t expect an undiscovered masterpiece in Sigismund Thalberg’s F minor Piano Concerto. Instead, let your ears revel in its quaint tunes and digital fireworks, served up with dash and flair by both soloist and conductor. Thalberg’s notey barrages pose no problems for Francesco Nicolosi, although some of the composer’s more taxing “three-hand” effects (middle-register melodies surrounded by left and right hand arpeggiated figures) leave the Italian pianist gasping for air. Still, Thalberg’s silly, grandstanding fantasia based on the Andante from Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony (with the Fifth Symphony’s finale thrown in for good measure!) is worth the disc’s modest asking price. The Nocturne, Canzonette Italienne, and Un Soupir, by contrast, showcase Thalberg’s attractive if somewhat naïve lyrical side. Understandably, some Romantic Revivalists will latch onto Michael Ponti’s venerable Thalberg Concerto on Vox. Naxos’ sonic and interpretive upgrade, however, sprints to the head of the queue.
