Fantasy on Two Ukrainian Themes for flute and piano (Mykola Lysenko) DIGITAL
This is a recital showpiece at a Late Advanced Level that showcases a flutist's technique and lyricism.
This is an one-movement work that takes Ukrainian folk songs as the basis for a virtuosic display in a romantic style. The two folks songs Lysenko uses are “Khlopche-molodche” (Brave Cossack) and “Oi Handziu mylostyva” (Gracious Handzia)
The work opens with an introduction that begins with fortissimo declamatory chords in the piano that the flute responds to. It continues with virtuosic quasi-cadenza-like statements from the flute in between these chords. Next, a vocal-like melody is presented in the flute overtop of quarter note chords in the left hand and the melody or brief echoes in the right hand of the piano. As it develops quick embellishments such as septuplets and thirty-second note triplets are inserted into the theme, which leads to a cadenza movement marked “staccato vivamente” consisting of a double-tongue descending scalar passage in the flute. The next section “Andante” presents a lyrical theme in the flute overtop of a bass line in the left hand on beats 1 and 3 combined with chords on beats 2 and 4 in the right hand of the piano. As it develops it becomes embellished as a string of wandering triplets into the upper register of the flute, while the right hand of the piano plays the melody. It then progresses into passages of sixteenth notes featuring scalar and larger intervals highlighting the harmonic progressions. Throughout this section two voice writing is used to show the important melodic notes to bring out. The following section "Più mosso scherzando” marked “ben leggiero” consists of a motif of an eight note with a preceding grace note that is followed by two slurred sixteenth notes in scalar motion that leads to passages of sixteenth notes. The piano mostly plays an accompanimental texture that occasionally joins in on the passages of sixteenths. It is briefly interrupted by a three-measure “Adagio” in a lyrical style as a contrast. Next, an “Allegro energico” section presents the theme in the piano, which the flute later joins in to add a virtuosic passages of sixteenth (quadruplet and quintuplet) notes. Afterwards, a “Vivo giocoso” with a lively dance-like character mainly built around sixteenth and eighth notes in the flute with eighth note chords and bass line in the piano. Eventually, another two-measure “Adagio” returns as contrast before a final brief “Presto” with material from earlier to conclude the work.
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