Symphony No. 1 in G Minor

The sun sparkles on icy landscapes and snow-bound steppe in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams”. The symphony was written in 1866, as a youthful exploration of symphonic form. Some themes are reused from earlier music: the second movement theme was originally from a symphonic poem, The Storm, and the third movement appeared in an early piano sonata. But all are integrated into an atmospheric portrait of the winter season. The first movement, “Dreams of a Winter Journey”, begins with an elegant melody from flute and bassoon, opening onto a snowy vista. The second, “Land of Desolation, Land of Mists”, is a series of variations on a limpid melody, first heard on the oboe then passed around the orchestra. The third movement is the frostiest section, a nimble, brittle “Scherzo”. The “Finale” introduces a Russian folk song, which builds to an exhilarating dance, then to a spectacular climax, the symphony concluding in a blaze of cymbals and brass.