Movement 1
Poco Sostenuto – Vivace
In English: a little sustained – lively and vivacious
The first music we hear is an introduction which effectively gathers friends for the dance. We hear first the oboe, then clarinet, and horn statements punctuated by loud chords from the rest of the orchestra.
This introduction gives way to gathering rhythmic energy and melodic fragments until, at the 3:35 mark, it melts into a suspenseful exchange between high strings and winds, previewing the underlying skipping rhythm of the Vivace movement at 3:58.
4:31 – The music bursts into action with strings loudly proclaiming the melody (but also listen here for the horns triumphantly outlining the apex of each of these gestures).
6:22 – There is an abrupt halt, silence, and a restart.
Another of these abrupt changes occurs at the 13:15 mark, kicking off a great coda, or final ending, with a sort of “Jaws theme” idea that returns in movements three and four. This “Jaws theme” idea goes from 13:27 until the final outburst at 13:52. Again, listen for the horns to be the triumphant conquering heroes of the dance at 14:14. We dare you not to feel lifted!