Mozart/Czerny - Fantasy on “The Marriage of Figaro“ Op. 493 (audio + sheet music)

Carl Czerny (1791-1857) was at one time better known as a teacher than as a composer: Only about a hundred of his vast output of over a thousand works and 861 opus numbers are anything but exercises and studies. He himself divided his output into four categories: 1. studies and exercises, 2. easy pieces for pupils, 3. virtuosic concert pieces and 4. serious works. His influence is clearly discernible in the early works of his pupil Franz Liszt, and it is possible that Liszt developed his keyboard technique and orchestral handling of the piano specifically on the basis of Czerny’s pianism. The fact that Czerny had learnt his piano technique from Beethoven, using . Bach’s “Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments“, creates an interesting image of a keyboard line running from Johann Sebastian Bach to Liszt. Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro was already popular during his lifetime, and many of the arias had become outright hits. Mozart himself borrowed a theme from The Marriage of Figaro in Don Giovanni. Fantasias and transcriptions for piano were also made of themes from the opera, not only by Czemy but also by another pupil of Beethoven’s, Ferdinand Ries, and a composer, Friedrich Kuhlau, nowadays known for his sonatinas. Plus there were transcriptions by numerous other contemporaries. After Czerny came such transcribers as the virtuoso pianist Sigismund Thalberg, and the keyboard geniuses Franz Liszt and Ferruccio Busoni. The Czerny Fantasia is clever and joyful in mood. The introduction is followed by arias linked by bridge passages. There is no lack of speed along the way, and the figuration is reminiscent of Czerny’s piano studies. The arias are cleverly arranged, keeping astonishingly faithful to the originals. (Naxos Music Library) Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. Feel free to change the video quality to a minimum of 480p for the best watching experience. Original audio: Cyprien Katsaris (Sony Music Entertainment, 1992) ( Original sheet music: _’Le_nozze_di_Figaro’,(Czerny,_Carl)