In the early 19th century, their rivalry was as heated and heartfelt as that between Prince and Michael Jackson. Both precocious, both capable of captivating audiences. So much so that a real piano duel was organized on March 31, 1837 in Paris, taking advantage of the visit of Princess Cristina di Belgiojoso. It was a memorable duel and the Princess' comment was: "Thalberg is the first pianist in the world. Listz is the only one". But if much is known about Franz Liszt, less is remembered about his Austrian compatriot Sigismund Thalberg, known as "the pianist with three hands" for the particular technique he developed that allowed him to play by creating the illusion of three independent musical lines.

The preview of the concert season organized by the Marila de Carolis organization proposed the original project "Quel che resta del genio" at the Sassari Municipal Theater, which received equal acclaim and attention.

On stage the exceptional pianist narrator and voice of RaiRadio 3. The meeting opened with a historical introduction by Antonello Mattone , historian and president of the Sassari institution.

The life of the musical genius is intertwined, in the story of Nicolosi and Valanzuolo, with the work of Efisio Marini, a controversial Sardinian doctor called “the petrifyer” for the particular embalming technique he developed. By will of Thalberg's widow, Marini took care of the preservation of the pianist's body after his death.

Nicolosi's mastery in tackling the most famous pieces from Thalberg's repertoire, including the Concerto in F minor op. 5 , Les Soirées de Pausilippe , and Rossini's fantasy on Moses , is combined with Valanzuolo's fast-paced, detailed narration, which in the text, written for this project, gives voice to Marini's narrator.

The concert concluded with an acclaimed encore featuring a lively tarantella.