Sigismund Thalberg made his first appearances in London and Germany to great success. By the 1850s he had built up a major international career as a wizard of the piano, rivalled only by Liszt. For exceptional pianists such as Thalberg and Liszt, transcriptions were a useful vehicle for demonstrating their technical prowess, in a form with which audiences were familiar. Bellini’s operas made ideal material for these compositions: they were packed with memorable melodies that transferred well to the keyboard, and contained enough dramatic interest to provide contrast. Thalberg’s fantasies on themes from these operas exploit the full range of technical possibilities offered by the pianos of the mid-nineteenth century. They are both a fascinating glimpse into the musical taste of this period, and enjoyable evocations of operas both still popular and unjustly forgotten.