Roussanova, Elena - Fantasy for Euphonium

FANTASY FOR EUPHONIUM AND PIANO (Second Edition 2012) is a three movement composition. Commissioned by David Stern (2001). 1. “THE OLD TALE” is a story about the Bogatyrs, some of the legendary medieval heroes of the Russian folk epics known as byliny. Bogatyrs are traditionally described as warriors of immense strength, bravery and courage. Some of them tend to be known for a certain character trait: Alyosha Popovich for his wits, Dobrynya Nikitich for his courage, Ilya Muromets for his physical and spiritual power and integrity, and also for his dedication to the protection of his homeland and people. Most of the bogatyrs’ adventures are fictional, and often included fighting dragons, giants and other mythical creatures. However, the bogatyrs themselves were often based on real people.The movement is written in Sonata Form, which is an ideal musical form to describe a bylina. The folk singers of byliny employ an easy to follow structure. It typically includes three basic parts: in