Leó Weiner (April 16, 1885 - Sept. 13, 1960) was born in to a Jewish family in Budapest, and ended up being one of the leading Hungarian music educators the first half of the twentieth century. He started piano lessons as a boy with his brother, and later studied at the Academy of Music in Budapest. While he was there, he won numerous prizes, and eventually went on to be a professor at the Academy, teaching theory, composition, and chamber music. Some of his notable students include cellist János Starker, conductors Fritz Reiner and George Solti, and pianist György Sebők.

Weiner wrote his Serenade for Small Orchestra around the age of 21, and it was one of the pieces he won awards for at the Academy of Music in Budapest, and he dedicated it to his teacher Hans Koessler. The first movement,  Allegretto quasi andantino, starts out with a motif in F minor in the flutes that then gets traded to the strings. A second theme in F major offers a pleasing contrast, and is light, and charming. The second movement Lebhaft sehr rhythmisch, is rhythmically intricate, and structured similar to a scherzo. The violins open things up with a cheeky theme that gets tossed about the orchestra. Then in the middle a more grounded C major theme is introduced, and then  back to the fun, cheeky theme. The clarinet opens up the third movement, Andantino, with a sweet and sometimes mournful line, before the bassoons pipe up with their contribution, followed by the oboe and flute, all of them making their own statements, before the clarinet comes in again. The last movement opens up in F minor with a theme not unlike the first movement, with some additional folksong-like themes introduced by the woodwinds. The texture of the piece overall is light and gentle, and the various  melodies throughout make for delightfully charming listening.

Here's a recording of this charming work for you to enjoy!

Budapest Festival Orchestra