Originally a piano showpiece, this rhapsody is a progression of folk melodies in the form of a czardas, a traditional folk dance that begins slowly and moves toward a fiery conclusion. Students focus on

Expressing the many different moods and events of a storm, the opening begins with the violins playing a gripping ostinato pattern suggesting that a storm is coming. The first two themes convey the erratic

Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, First Movement is presented in its entirety in G major (from the original E major), making it wonderfully accessible to less advanced ensembles. A staple in classical