Paolo e Virginia, op. 78 - Violin, Clarinet and Piano

Ponchielli (1834-1886) is perhaps best known for his ballet “The Dance of the Hours,” from the opera La Gioconda. That music is perhaps most widely recognized as the dancing hippopotamus in Walt Disney's “Fantasia.” Paolo e Virginia was written in March 1877 while Ponchielli was in Rome rehearsing La Gioconda. The work may have some connection to a little-known French work of the same name by Victor Massé, which was premiered in Paris in 1876.

The conclusion of this work is somewhat reminiscent of “The Dance of the Hours”, perhaps because it was only written a year after La Gioconda. Like other instrumental works by Ponchielli, it is characterized by a combination of operatic melodies and virtuosic technique in the instrumental parts.

For violin, B-flat clarinet, and piano.