La Boutique Fantasque

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) based this ballet suite on the earlier opera music of Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).  The suite of three movements opens with a spirited Can-Can, in the traditional style with an accelerando to the end, followed by a beautiful and melodic Valse spotlighting the woodwind section.  The suite concludes with a rousing and dynamic Galop.  Mahaffey has done a great job here in bringing the joy of the ballet stage to the modern wind band in this authentic arrangement.