A composer and conductor of genius, Eugene Bozza (1905╩1991) left us several operas, ballets, large-scale symphonic and choral works, but his worldwide reputation is derived mainly from his many chamber works, written for various instrumental formations with a preference for wind instruments. Bozza composed the Aria during the period of his Grand Prix de Rome in 1934. A free adaptation of the third movement of J. S. Bach’s Pastoral in F Major for organ (BWV 590), this lyrical piece demonstrates the composer’s taste and predilection for wind instruments, in particular for the saxophone.