LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Community and Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Camm Linden, will perform at the beginning of Lake County Symphony’s Fall concert this Sunday, as was traditional for the youth orchestra in the past.

The musicians will play several lively and well-known pieces, all arranged by Richard Meyer and all guaranteed to get toes tapping.

The Lake County Community and Youth Orchestra starts its performance with “Can-Can” by Jacques Offenbach, from the 1858 comic opera “Orpheus in the Underworld.”

Originally known as the “Infernal Gallop” it gained popularity when both the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere in Paris selected it as the music for their famous Can-Can dance.

The second piece is “Habanera” from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” in which Carmen sings about “love being a rebellious bird that cannot be tamed.” It is perhaps the most famous aria from the 1875 opera.

The melody is based on the song “El Arreglito,” written by Spanish musician Sebastian Yradier.

Bizet thought he was borrowing from an old folk song, but upon learning the tune had been written just 10 years prior, he immediately acknowledged Yradier as the source in his manuscripts.

The last selection is “Radetzky’s March” by Johann Strauss, Sr. in honor of a heroic Austrian field marshal named Joseph Radetzky von Ratetz. It was first performed in 1848 by an Austrian Army band for a group of Austrian officers.

Apparently, it was an instant hit. The officers were so taken by the joyful and festive mood of the music they began clapping and stomping their feet to the rhythm.

It is an audience tradition that continues to this day.