Romberg - Souvenir de St. Pétersbourg, Op. 77 (Urtext Edition, Piano Version)

Bernhard Romberg’s friendship with the Vielgorsky, or Wielhorski, brothers in St. Petersburg was especially fruitful. In 1826, he published his Concerto Suisse, No. 7, Op. 44, dedicated to Matvey Vielgorsky. In the late 1830s, he composed Souvenir de St. Pétersbourg, Op. 77, based on two songs by Matvey’s brother, Mikhail Vielgorsky. The work was published posthumously, along with Romberg’s Opp. 70–78, and reflects his close connection with Russian musical circles.

Souvenir de St. Pétersbourg unfolds in three parts. The introduction and first fast section draw on Mikhail Vielgorsky’s song Любила я твои глаза (“I loved your eyes”), a melody also transcribed by Liszt and others. The fast section is cast in sonata form but halts suddenly after the development, a structure that anticipates later nineteenth-century concerto designs by composers such as Bruch, Dvořák, and Goltermann. The second fast section is a polonaise based on Vielgorsky’s Нам сияет Аврора в солнце нужды нам нет (“Aurora shines upon us, we need not the sun”), structured as a ternary form with an extended coda. The overall layout aligns with late Classical and early Romantic concertinos by composers such as Weber and Servais. Though compact in form, the work is by no means technically easy.

This edition presents, for the first time in modern publication, a complete quintet score of Souvenir de St. Pétersbourg. Editorial interventions and deviations from the original sources are marked in the score or detailed in the Critical Commentary. In this edition, the cello and bass lines have been separated into distinct parts. Original fingerings and bowings have been retained in the solo part, with the editor’s suggested fingerings appearing below the staff. This package includes the solo cello part and piano reduction.

Best suited for advanced cellists, Souvenir de St. Pétersbourg is an effective concertino-style work for recitals, competitions, auditions, and study of early Romantic cello repertoire. It offers opportunities to develop lyrical projection, brilliant passagework, polonaise character, formal awareness, and the elegant virtuosity central to Romberg’s style.

ASTA level: 4