Fantaisie brillante on themes from Gounod’s ‘Faust’(1865)

Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880)

Fantaisie brillante on themes from Gounod’s ‘Faust’(1865)

Of all the virtuso violinist-composers following in the wake of Paganini, Wieniawski was one of the greatest in both respects. It is going too far to claim him as “the Chopin of the violin” – even though he was born in Poland and wrote mazurkas and polonaises ­– but, among those working in the same area, not even such major figures Vieuxtemps, Joachim and Ysaÿe achieved more than he did. As a performer he was renowned for a versatility that allowed him to play the Chaconne in D minor with the authority of a Joachim and the Carnaval de Venise with the facility of a Sarasate. As a composer too he was able to write music as ambitious and as inspired as the Second Violin Concerto in D minor, which was much admired by Tchaikovsky among others, and at the same time to throw off the virtuoso pieces which were a necessary part of the repertoire of the solo violinists of the day.

The Fantaisie brillante on themes from Gounod’s ‘Faust ‘ is a particularly interesting piece. As its title indicates, it belongs to the often parasitical tradition by which the best tunes of a popular opera are pressed into service as material for the display of an instrumental soloist’s technical brilliance. Gounod’s tunes are used in that way here but without the breathtaking cynicism characteristic of so many of the violinist-composer’s contemporarires. While giving the orchestra or (as on this occasion) the piano more responsibility than is granted in most works of this kind, Wieniawski retains a respect for the original, for its dramatic atmosphere and the reality of its emotions.

The Fantasy begins with Gounod’s introduction to the opening scene, where Faust is alone in his study and in such despair about the futility of learning that one can well believe that he is ready to sell his soul to Mephistopheles. The entry of the violin is delayed as long as the entry of the voice in the opera and even then the solo line is more thoughtfully expressive than showy, in spite of the cadenzas. When it comes to Siebel’s aria “Faites-lui mes aveux” lyrical melody is still more important than display. The first fundamental change of attitude comes with Mephistopheles’s irreverent aria “Le veau d’or,” which is a valid occasion for devilish violin scoring. But then there is another amorously melodious episode, this one based, with growing passion, on Faust’s duet with Marguerite “Laisse-moi, laisse-moi contempler ton visage.” Only then is it time for full-scale violin heroics in a finale and coda inspired by the waltz music from the second act. The perilous use of harmonics here, among other devices, is such that one is reminded of Wieniaski’s famous motto, “You have to take risks!”