Giuseppe Donizetti (1788-1856) has fared even less well than Michael Haydn as a brother of a much more gifted and celebrated man; his Grande Marche was composed for the coronation of Sultan Abdülmecid-Khan in 1839, and for some decades it became the national anthem of the Ottoman Empire. Liszt transcribed it for piano in 1847 as a fulsome concert paraphrase when he visited Istanbul and was decorated by the Sultan with the Order of Glory; the work would bring his traveling virtuoso years to a close, and his retirement would be tantamount to declaring open season on the piano for all other young pianists.
26 сен 2024