Servais - Souvenir de Bade, Op. 20 (Urtext Edition, Piano Version)

Souvenir de Bade is a revised version of Fantaisie La Romantique (ca. 1834). Fantaisie La Romantique was one of Servais's earliest successes as a composer. The work was never published in its original form during the composer's life. The revised version was published by Schott in 1863.

The earliest known performance of Souvenir under the new name

Souvenir de Bade is a revised version of Fantaisie La Romantique (ca. 1834). Fantaisie La Romantique was one of Servais's earliest successes as a composer. The work was never published in its original form during the composer's life. The revised version was published by Schott in 1863.

The earliest known performance of Souvenir under the new name was on 23 February 1860 and was performed under this title until 1863. The first known performance of Fantaisie La Romantique occurred on 6 December 1834 and was performed under that title until 1842. It is likely that it was performed under yet another title between 1842 and 1860. The published version of Souvenir de Bade was dedicated to the wife of casino director and cellist Edouard Bénazet. According to the Servais scholar Peter François, “from 1856 to 1866 Servais performed almost every year in the German town Baden-Baden.”

Souvenir de Bade, unlike Fantaisie La Romantique, is largely monothematic. The opening orchestral tutti is further developed by the soloist. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but the introduction of the Rococo Variations by Peter Tchaikovsky also has a tempo marking “Moderato assai quasi Andante.” The introduction is connected to the theme by a virtuosic cadenza. The theme, the first two variations, and the connecting tuttis are nearly the same as the Fantaisie. The slow variation has a sweeping harp accompaniment. This variation is followed by another virtuosic cadenza and the final variation. The finale of the Fantaisie is a polonaise, but Souvenir de Bade is tarantella-like. Souvenir de Bade is unique in that it ends quietly save the last chord. It is unlikely that the theme is connected to Baden-Baden.