Servais - Grande Fantaisie sur deux Mélodies de Halévy (Urtext Edition, Piano Version)

In 1876, a decade after Servais’s death, Schott published four posthumous fantasias, including Grande Fantaisie sur deux Mélodies de Halévy, issued as Œuvre posthume No. 1. The work is based on two arias by Fromental Halévy: “Quand de la nuit l’épais nuage” from L’Éclair and “Pendant la fête une inconnue” from Guido et Ginevra. The earliest known performances took place in April and September 1862.

The fantasia opens with a dramatic introduction derived from the rhythmic motif of the L’Éclair aria. After being developed by the orchestra or piano, the material is taken up by the soloist, followed by a cadenza leading into the first theme and four variations. The second Halévy theme is introduced lyrically and leads directly into the finale, where material from both operas is combined in a brilliant closing section.

ASTA Level: 6