Cocktail Party Fact: Dale Wasserman, the author of the book, was in Madrid doing a motion picture when he read a newspaper article that mistakenly said he was there to research a dramatic version of Don Quixote. Although he had no intention of doing this, he was intrigued and read the book. He finally decided [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: The last New York revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris opened in 1981, three years after Brel had died. They didn’t change the title.
Here’s the Plot: More than any other piece written for the musical stage, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: Boccherini composed over 120 string quintets. Most of the music in the guitar quintets was probably adapted from his string quintets.
Commitment Factor: About 25 minutes per quintet
Vital Statistics: Early classical period (1798) Six quintets for guitar and string quartet.

Cocktail Party Fact: Samuel Barber took bits and pieces of his ballet score Medea and rewrote them for full orchestra to produce this popular concert piece.
Commitment Factor: About 12 minutes.
Vital Statistics: Modern Period.