Here’s an old favorite: Espana by Emmanuel Chabrier. This is one of the most delightful pieces I know, just pure delightful color for all of its six minutes. I got to play this work in college, and I’ve loved it since that very first rehearsal. For a work written in the Romantic era, Espana really seems to be anticipating the Modern era in some key ways: its rhythm isn’t just engaging or “catchy”, but it has that wonderful 20th Century sense of the bar line being made irrelevant.
