The Russian title is Каприччио на испанские темы (literally, Capriccio on Spanish Themes).

[2] The piece is often lauded for its orchestration, which features a large percussion section and many special techniques and articulations, such as in the fourth movement when the violinists, violists, and cellists are asked to imitate guitars (the violin and viola parts are marked "quasi guitara").

In his autobiography, he wrote: The opinion formed by both critics and the public, that the Capriccio is a magnificently orchestrated piece — is wrong.

The Spanish themes, of dance character, furnished me with rich material for putting in use multiform orchestral effects.

It was a little less successful in its third section (Alborada, in B-flat major), where the brasses somewhat drown the melodic designs of the woodwinds; but this is very easy to remedy, if the conductor will pay attention to it and moderate the indications of the shades of force in the brass instruments by replacing the fortissimo by a simple forte.