These rarely heard piano transcriptions of Wagner and Verdi operas share a common theme: Love and Death, the two most important themes of opera, as a reflection of human life and fate.
First the pianist Abdiel Vazquez presents his own “Meistersinger Rhapsody”, a stunning pianistic tour de force. The three Wagner transcriptions (Ride of the Valkyries, Siegmund’s Love Song, Love Scene and Transfiguration from Tristan) are by Carl Tausig, Liszt’s favourite pupil, an awesome pianist and composer, died tragically young.
The Concert Fantasy over themes from La Forza del Destino is by Italian composer Giuseppe Martucci (a wonderful composer with a fine ear for instrumental colours), followed by two famous paraphrases by Liszt (Rigoletto, Aida). The disc finds a spectacular conclusion in the fiendishly difficult Trovatore Paraphrase by György Cziffra.
Abdiel Vázquez: Rhapsody on Themes from Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)
00:00:00 Rhapsody on Themes from Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg)
Richard Wagner: Die Walkure, Act III: Ride of the Valkyries (arr. C. Tausig for piano)
00:10:16 Siegmund's Love Song
00:14:44 Ride of the Valkyries
Carl Tausig: Wagner - Tristan und Isolde: Paraphrase No. 1 on Love Scene and Transfiguration
00:20:43 Wagner - Tristan und Isolde: Paraphrase No. 1 on Love Scene and Transfiguration
Giuseppe Martucci: Fantasia sull'opera \"La forza del destino\", Op. 1 (After Verdi)
00:39:04 Fantasia sull'opera La forza del destino, Op. 1
Franz Liszt: Paraphrase de concert sur Rigoletto, S. 434
00:47:58 Verdi - Rigoletto: Paraphrase de concert, S434/R267
Franz Liszt: Verdi - Aida: Danza sacra e duetto final, S436/R269
00:54:45 Verdi - Aida: Danza sacra e duetto final, S436/R269
Giuseppe Verdi: Il trovatore (arr. G. Cziffra for piano)
01:05:15 Il trovatore: Theme (arr. G. Cziffra for piano)
