Cavalleria Rusticana, Pietro Mascagni's first and most popular opera, was written as an entry in a competition for young Italian composers and  was awarded first prize after its enormously successful 1890 premiere in Rome. Despite the lack of appreciation for Mascagni's subsequent works, Cavalleria Rusticana has since seen countless performances. In addition to the popularity of the opera as a whole, one three-minute component of the work, the Intermezzo Sinfonico, has become a standard piece in the orchestral repertoire, lauded for its graceful and transparent beauty. The Intermezzo has seen quite a few adaptations over time, and as a saxophonist, I am excited to contribute my arrangement for Saxophone Octet, an ensemble whose inherent expressive qualities will create many more memorable performances of this elegant work. -Andy Wilds