Yasuhide Ito is a Japanese composer, he graduated and Tokyo Geijutsu Kaigaku (Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music) in 1986. As a composer he is well known for more than 60 band works, including the famous "Gloriosa" and "Festival Scenes." He also has works for chamber ensembles that have been published throughout the world. Besides his career as a composer, he is also a well-known pianist, and has co-starred with many leading players including Steven Mead and Brian Bowman. Although musically educated in Japan, Ito uses the Eupropean Classical music language in his compositions.
Fantasy Variations is only one of his compositions for Euphonium, he also has Gradation, A La Suite Classique, and Euphonium Parfait. Fantasy Variations was commissioned and premiered by Miura Toru, internationally acclaimed euphonium player, and a member of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. Originally written for Euphonium and Band and premiered at the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference in Sapporo, Japan in August of 1990. Based on a "Yaisamanina (love song) from Ainu Folk-music" which appears as the theme in bar 171 (Ainu is a Japanese Aborigine from Northern Japan). In this work he uses motives based on Japanese melody, although composed using different European Styles including: Chaconne, Variations, Rondo, and Fugue.
Written in the form of a theme and variations, this piece actually presents the variations before the theme. The variations require no unusual techniques other than finesse and ease. There is a lot of interchange between the piano and soloist, making it, at some moments, a piano solo with Euphonium accompaniment. After a brief cadenza the true theme emerges in the piano. The soloist is required to shape the melody to be as beautiful as possible. After the theme a fugue in 6/8 emerges and concludes with a "tour-de-force" coda section. Here is a video of Kyohei Ando performing the piece with piano accompaniment.
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