Servais and Léonard - 2me Grand Duo de Concert sur des thèmes de Beethoven (Urtext Edition)

The 2me Grand Duo de Concert sur des thèmes de Beethoven is the second published collaboration between Servais and Léonard. It was dedicated to Aleksey (Oleksa) Petrovich Storozhenko (1806–1874), a Ukrainian writer, prose stylist, and ethnographer known for his deep engagement with Ukrainian folk culture and aristocratic romanticism. A versatile artist, he played the cello, painted, sculpted, and wrote both poetry and prose, publishing 14 works in Russian and 26 in Ukrainian. He drew inspiration from personal observation and folk tales, especially fantastical or humorous ones, and was strongly influenced by Nikolai Gogol, whom he considered a mentor. Storozhenko often performed music and read his writings at social gatherings, accompanying his pianist wife on the cello in Brest-Litovsk salons. After retiring as a state councilor, he settled on an estate near Brest, devoting himself entirely to his art. He lived in Kyiv during Servais’s 1852 visit and is believed to have had a close connection with the Belgian cellist at that time.

Grand Duo opens with a dramatic introduction, echoing the recitatives from the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Beginning in measure 23, a lyrical melody unfolds, constructed on the head motive of the finale of the Pastorale Symphony, but composed originally by Léonard. This is followed by a theme and two variations on the second movement of the Kreutzer Sonata, transposed from the original F major to C major. This key choice takes advantage of the natural resonance of open strings.

A transition, reminiscent of the opening recitatives, leads to a mosaic of themes from Beethoven’s Pastorale. Among them are a clever reimagining of the bird calls from the slow movement and a complete thematic statement from the finale. The work concludes with a truncated version of the first movement of the Seventh Symphony. The Duo is carefully crafted, both as a homage to Beethoven and as a virtuosic vehicle for cello and violin.

This set has a score (formatted for performance) and separate parts.