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This week Donald Macleod reflects on five aspects of Tchaikovsky. Today he explores the rich vein of fairy tale and fantasy in the composer’s music.

So suspend your disbelief as swans dance; a toy comes to life to battle a giant mouse king; a pair of slippers – or are they boots? – can win a maiden’s heart; and the Devil can steal the moon.

The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 1 Scene 2, March of the Toy Soldiers)
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor

The Snow Maiden, Op 12 (No 2, Dance and Chorus of the Birds)
MDR Leipzig Radio Choir
MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
Krystjan Järvi, conductor

Swan Lake, Op 20 (Act 2 No 13e, Danse des cygnes: Pas d'action (Odette et le prince))
Rafael Druian, solo violin
Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
Antal Doráti, conductor

The Slippers (Act 1 scene 2, extract – Oksana’s aria)
Ekaterina Morosova, soprano (Oksana)
Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, conductor

The Sleeping Beauty, Op 66 (Act 1 No 5 (‘The Palace Garden’), No 6 (‘Valse’))
Russian National Orchestra
Mikhail Pletnev, conductor

The Nutcracker, Op 71 (Act 2 No 12, Divertissement)
Chocolate (‘Spanish Dance’)
Coffee (‘Arabian Dance’)
Tea (‘Chinese Dance’)
Trepak (‘Russian Dance’)
Dance of the Reed Pipes
Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles (‘Clowns’)
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow