Listen: Liadov Kikimora, Op. 63

Anatoly Liadov was an important figure in Russian music at the turn of the last century—professor of composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire and the teacher of Prokofiev and Miaskovsky.  Liadov's own output as composer is modest in scope but impeccably crafted and brilliantly orchestrated (one can imagine Stravinsky himself being inspired by such an unlimited sense of orchestral colour).  Especially impressive are the tone poems Enchanted Lake, Baba-Yaga, and Kikimora, which you can hear me conduct in this recent performance.