I Got Rhythm is a song composed by George George Gershwin published in 1930, which became a widely-known jazz standard. The song was introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Girl Crazy. In 1933, Geor...
Cesar Franck's symphonic poem, 'Le Chasseur Maudit,' was written in 1883 and first performed in the following year. It is based upon the familiar ballad of Bürger's, 'Der wilde Jäger' ('The Wild Hunts...
With Les Pecheurs des Perles Bizet first made his mark in 1863. Set in ancient Ceylon, this tale of friendship, love and betrayal has been performed more and more often in opera houses around the worl...
Sullivan's Operetta The Gondoliers (first staged in 1889) was the last of the wildly successful Gilbert and Sullivan productions. The exuberant Dance a Cachuca is sung towards the beginning of the sec...
Tenor and Concert Band. Ruggiero Leoncavallo, both composer and librettist, based Pagliacci on real-life events he recalled from childhood. From these he fashioned a vivid musical play with intense pa...
Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born in New Orleans in 1829. His father was of German-Jewish decent and his Catholic mother was a Creole from Haiti. His piano lessons commenced at the age of five and were...
In its original form, the Fete Polonaise from the Opera Le Roi Malgre, is scored for chorus and orchestra. Ever the artistic pragmatist, Chabrier turned the dance sequence into a glittering orchestral...
Respighi's Three Botticelli Pictures (1927) is a three-movement suite based on famous paintings by the Renaissance master Botticelli. It's fully as colorful and beguiling as the fulsome and flashy Pin...
With the deepest respect for Bach's genius, Respighi accepted Toscanini's request in 1930 for a transcription of Bach's great Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor. The result was a 'Bravo Respighi!' from...
Respighi's Gli Uccelli (The Birds) is a suite in five movements for small orchestra. Each movement is based on themes by 17th and 18th century composers.