Servais and Grégoir - 1re Duo brillant sur un Thème de Donizetti (Urtext Editon)

Perhaps the best-known cello and piano opera fantasy today is Chopin and Franchomme’s Grand Duo Concertant on themes from Robert le Diable. Another outstanding example of the genre is Duo brillant sur un Thème de Donizetti, composed by Joseph Grégoir and François Servais. In this work, the piano and cello are equal partners, engaging in a rich dialogue closer in spirit to a sonata than a simple accompanied showpiece.

The cello writing is highly virtuosic, comparable to Servais’s more demanding fantasias such as Souvenir de Spa and Carnaval de Venise. To assist performers, Servais included ossia passages in several of the most difficult places, all of which are included in this edition.

Duo brillant is based on Bianca’s two-part aria, “Ah! quando in regio” and “No, che infelice appieno,” from Donizetti’s Ugo, Conte di Parigi. The first large section functions as a rhapsody on these themes, while the second presents a theme and two variations on “No, che infelice appieno.” The final section serves as a broader, more virtuosic concluding variation.

ASTA Level: 6