Thalberg was one of the finest virtuoso pianist-composers of the mid-19th century. As a composer, he excelled in transcribing or reworking the works of other composers. His fantasias on well-known opera arias by Meyerbeer, Donizetti, Verdi, Weber, and Mozart were extensively performed by himself. It was his Fantasia on themes from Rossini’s Moïse, Op. 33 that brought him wide recognition because of the dazzling technique demanded. When composing piano music, Thalberg loved keeping the melodies in the centre of the keyboard and having them accompanied by fancy arpeggios and chords in registers above and below, creating the illusion of a third hand playing. Whenever Thalberg performed, the audience would stand up to observe his hands roaming from one end of the keyboard to the other… [253 more words]