Manfred Obrecht conducts Philharmonie Baden-Baden at the Moonlight Festival Zofingen with guest soloist, David Childs.
This solo, also known as Original Fantasy or Introduzione, Tema e Variazioni was composed by Ermanno Picchi, an Italian composer, pedagogue and music critic who played an active role in the musical life of Florence from 1836 until his early death in 1856.
The work came to prominence as a euphonium solo through Simone Mantia, who regularly performed his own arrangement as featured soloist with the John Philip Sousa Band during the early 20th century.