S. Thalberg, Ballade played by Julian Hellaby (paulprocopolis)

Ballade Célèbre - Sigismond Thalberg Julian Hellaby - piano The 'Ballade Célèbre' by Sigismond Thalberg (1812-71) probably dates from 1862 or thereabout. Its style is quite dated for the second half of the nineteenth century but it does, in its later stages, contain an example of Thalberg's 'three-handed' effect whereby melody notes in the middle of the keyboard are swapped between the hands, the free hand being used to execute elaborate runs and decorations before taking back the melody from the other hand. The picture on the front of the score shows a young adventurer approaching a ruined castle, in the murky recesses of which the viewer can - perhaps - detect a maiden in distress. To create his musical narrative, Thalberg devises two quite appealing melodies and then repeats them with varied dynamics and pianistic arrangements. The composition is unsophisticated musically speaking but is an effective concert piece nonetheless. This performance was recorded at a recent lunchtime recital in Rugby.