The first snowfall each winter I like to listen to Chaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1 “Winter Dreams”, but I’ve been stymied the past couple of years as Philadelphia hasn’t had any snow.

I’ll grasp at any straws I can, so when we had some flurries (just barely) the other day, I called up this much beloved piece.

Although I consider Chaikovsky to be one of the truly great composers, he still receives scorn from some quarters, as he did in his own time, mainly because of the surface beauty of so much of his music. What those nay-sayers (who included the composer Dvořák) don’t seem to realize, is that the surface beauty often concealed a powerful compositional technique, as his greatest works are often based on just just a few simple musical motifs, but varied in many complex ways. As Sondheim used to say, “Less is more.” 

In any case the “Winter Dreams” Symphony is only about half of a great work, as in my opinion only the first two movements are truly inspired, although the trio of the scherzo is also outstanding. 

I can imagine seeing Russian sleighs riding through snow-covered countryside in the first movement, but the second movement is a particular favorite, and it deserves to be more widely known, so that’s what I have cued up in the following video. Feel free to back up if you want to hear the whole piece.