Servais - Fantaisie sur deux Airs Russes, Op. 13 (Urtext Edition)

Servais had a close relationship with Russia, Ukraine, and Poland, and this connection is reflected in several of his compositions. He first traveled to Russia in 1839–40, and according to Servais scholar Peter François, it was during this trip that he composed and first performed the Fantaisie sur deux airs russes. The work is based on two songs: Aleksandr Alyabyev’s “Соловей” (The Nightingale, 1827) and Aleksandr Varlamov’s “Красный сарафан” (The Red Sarafan, 1838).

Servais dedicated the fantasy to Count Mikhail Vielgorsky, a Russian official, composer, and important patron of the arts. Vielgorsky’s brother Matvey, an amateur cellist, was also connected to major cello repertoire as the dedicatee of both Servais’s Morceau de Concert, Op. 14, and Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata No. 2.

This edition is based on the first edition published by Schott in 1854, with the Richault edition also consulted for the solo cello part. The sources were graciously provided by the Servais Society.

This edition presents the version for cello and piano.

ASTA Level: 6