Rossini: Overture to La Gazza Ladra
La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The opera is best known for its overture, which is notable for its use of snare drums. Rossini was famous for his writing speed, and La gazza ladra was no exception. It was reported that the producer had to lock Rossini in a room the day before the first performance in order to write the overture. Rossini then threw each sheet out of the window to his copyists, who wrote out the full orchestral parts.

Mozart: Concerto No. 5 in A major for Violin
1. Allegro aperto-Adagio-Allegro aperto          2. Adagio          3. Rondeau
Mozart's last and most popular violin concerto is, in the words of the Mozart scholar Alfred Einstein, "unsurpassed for brilliance, tenderness, and wit". It is a classic example of Mozart's unique ability to combine serious and carefree elements within a single work.

Bizet: Symphony #1 in C major
1. Allegro vivo          2. Adagio          3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace         4. Finale: Allegro vivace
Georges Bizet was just seventeen when he wrote his Symphony in C in 1855. The composer of Carmen was a child prodigy who entered the Paris Conservatory, France’s Julliard School, at age 9.  This delightful symphony displays Bizet’s ability to compose melodies, such as the long, beautiful theme of the slow movement.  In 1947 Igor Stravinsky introduced the score to the great choreographer George Balanchine.  In 1948, the ballet, Symphony in C, was the first piece of the first performance of the just created New York City Ballet.
 

Born in Riga, Latvia, Artur Girsky started playing violin at the age of five. After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory and the Royal College of Music in London, he was invited to take the Concertmaster position in the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra under the conductor and world-renowned violist, Yuri Bashmet. After moving to the US in 1997, he became Principal Second Violin of the Florida Orchestra in Tampa. Since 2005, Girsky has been a member of the  second violin section of the Seattle Symphony.