Leos Janáček's Sinfonietta is one of my favorite pieces of music. I love how expansive the brass fanfare is. The very fast theme (starting at 2:40) reminds us of crabs scuttling sideways at the beach. I also love all the different themes and how he weaves them together.
Interestingly, the only version that I liked which I could also embed was this video of a beautiful, 1980 performance by the Netherlands Dans Theatre, choreographed by Jiri Kylian. They look nothing like crabs, although the backdrop could be seen as seashore-ish. The opening fanfare is a bit faster than I'm used to hearing.
- From the Wikipedia article:
...It is dedicated 'To the Czechoslovak Armed Forces' and Janáček said it
was intended to express 'contemporary free man, his spiritual beauty
and joy, his strength, courage and determination to fight for victory.'
It started by Janáček listening to a brass band, becoming inspired to
write some fanfares of his own. When the organisers of the Sokol Gymnastic Festival approached him for a commission, he developed the material into the Sinfonietta. He later dropped the word 'military'...
- From the Program note from the Chicago Symphony:
...The idea of a brief fanfare quickly grew into the five-movement
Sinfonietta, his largest purely orchestral work. Each movement is
scored for a different--and unconventional--group of instruments; the
sound of Janáček's music is so idiosyncratic that for years
unsympathetic listeners thought it was simply poorly orchestrated. But
the raw, powerful, and often electrifying timbre is part of Janáček's
confident, utterly individual voice--matched by his unexpected choices
of harmonies and the daring cut of his melodies...