Classical Music | Piano Music

Christoph Gluck

Mélodie d'Orfée (tr.Sgambati)  Play

Dmitry Paperno Piano

Recorded on 07/10/1991, uploaded on 02/12/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

My initial interest in Giovanni Sgambati's transcription of Gluck's Melody for Two Flutes from Orpheus stems from a recording by Rachmaninov -- an irresistible performance by a powerful pianistic personality. This is a tricky work, however; until the past decade it did not seem worth the effort to learn it for concert performance. The key to playing this piece is balancing three distinct, intricately woven layers of sound. Sgambati was a student of Liszt; not as brilliant as Siloti, but this beautiful piece should ensure his place in the annals of piano transcription.

Dmitry Paperno