Midwinter magic: it鈥檚 a season of crisp frosts and fireside tales, mist-clad forests and icy blue skies. That鈥檚 the story that Tchaikovsky told about his 'Winter Daydreams' symphony, anyway, but however you choose to hear it, this youthful, folk-inspired masterpiece remains one of the most enchanting (and colourful) first symphonies by any great composer.
It鈥檚 perfect, in other words, for a January day. And in this short but magical free concert with the 麻豆社 Symphony Orchestra, conductor Martyn Brabbins has chosen to pair the symphony with a lost jewel by one of Tchaikovsky鈥檚 favourite contemporaries: the wonderfully tuneful ballade, 'About Olden Times', by Anatoly Liadov, Russian music鈥檚 forgotten master of musical colour. Imagine a Faberg茅 egg in sound.
