First performed in December 1892 in St. Petersburg in Russia, Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet The Nutcracker has since become a beloved Christmas tradition around the world. We'll hear it along with Tchaikovsky's Winterdreams on the 12/23 broadcast.
12/2 Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony Wagner: Overture to Rienzi Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, Inextinguishable (Semyon Bychkov and Edward Gardner, cond)
12/9 Sibelius: Nocturne and Ballade from King Christian II Suite Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Schumann: Von fremden Ländern und Menschen from Kinderszenen Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1 Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream (Alexander Gavrylyuk, p; Thomas Søndergård and Jean Martinon, cond)
12/16 Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn Schoenberg: Transfigured Night Wagner: Good Friday Spell from Parsifal Corigliano: Symphony No. 1 (John Sharp, c; Stephen Hough, p; Esa-Pekka Salonen and Daniel Barenboim, cond)
12/23 Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 Tchaikovsky/Pletnev: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, Winter Dreams Ravel: Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and Strings (Simon Trpčeski, p; Edward Druzinsky, hp; Donald Peck, f; Clark Brody, cl; Pablo Heras-Casado and Jean Martinon, cond)
12/30 Tippett: Little Music for String Orchestra Beethoven: Piano Concerto Tippett: Praeludium for Brass, Bells, and Percussion Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Paul Lewis, p; Sir Colin Davis and Seiji Ozawa, cond)