On vacation in Italy in 1903, English composer Edward Elgar wrote a friend, “Music is in the air.  It’s everywhere--you only have to take as much of it as you need [for your inspiration].”

Indeed, for northern Europeans, Italy was not only a winter haven, but a land filled with song and dance.

In this hour, five works inspired by the music, people and scenery of Italy--by Elgar, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, and Richard Strauss.

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