Two English folk songs form George Butterworth's idyllic The Banks of Green Willow, premiered just two years before the promising young composer's demise in the trenches of World War I. German Max Bruch, captivated by Scottish traditions, wove these melodies into his violin showpiece, Scottish Fantasy. Meanwhile, Brahms' expressive Symphony No. 1, finely dubbed "Beethoven's Tenth," gestated for 22 years due to his remarkable perfectionism.

Bacewicz's six-minute Overture for Orchestra, composed during the German occupation of Poland, offers a perpetually shifting palette of colors. Spaniard Joaquin Rodrigo's animated Concierto de Aranjuez features elaborate orchestration for classical guitar. Lutosławski's energetic Little Suite for Symphony Orchestra espouses Polish folk tunes, while Borodin's colorful Symphony No. 2 evokes the exuberance of Russian folk dances.

Ellen Taafe Zwilich declared her popular Concerto Grosso 1985 as a "20th century response to the spirit of Handel," created for his 300th birthday celebration. Inspired by Handel's Violin Sonata in D, in serves as a fitting precursor to Mendelssohn's exquisite and romantic Violin Concerto in E minor. Dvořák's pastoral Eighth Symphony vividly depicts Czech songs and dances through rich, pleasing melodic harmonies.