Tchaikovsky: Winter Dreams (Symphony No. 1)

Michael Tilson Thomas' recording of Tchaikovsky's first symphony has long been considered the best because of its ‘balletic’ treatment of the score. And indeed, there is an element of danceability in his tempi as well as an irresistibly natural flow in his handling of the transitions. Thomas makes the lilting second movement sound like a soulful lullaby, helped in no small part by the richly textured string playing of the Boston Symphony.