Servais - Andante cantabile et Rondo à la Mazurka sur un Air de Balfe (Urtext Edition, Piano Version)

Servais’s Andante cantabile et Rondo is a substantial concert fantasia based on Michael William Balfe’s 1836 opera The Maid of Artois, itself drawn from Abbé Prévost’s Manon Lescaut. Its source is “Il piacer,” a two-part aria sung by Isoline, the role created in London by the celebrated Maria Malibran. Servais was in London at the time of the opera’s premiere and likely heard the work there; he also appeared with Balfe in several concerts during the same period.

Dedicated to Alfredo Piatti, the work reflects the operatic cavatina-cabaletta model, opening with a lyrical Andante cantabile and continuing with a brilliant Rondo. Although Servais labels the second part a mazurka, the original aria is closer to a waltz, while the central section has a distinct polonaise character. One of the few Servais concert works without a variation set, this fantasia offers a striking blend of operatic lyricism, dance character, and virtuoso display.

This Urtext edition presents the work in a clean modern score based on the earliest available sources.

ASTA Level: 6