Drawn from Slavic mythology, the tale of the fearsome witch Baba Yaga, known for frightening children, is the theme of Anatoly Lyadov’s symphonic poem. The virtuosic and rarely performed Cello Concerto No. 2 by Dmitry Kabalevsky adds intensity to the program, performed by one of the most acclaimed Scandinavian artists Torleif Thedéen on an instrument that once belonged to Mstislav Rostropovich.

A few years before Kabalevsky’s Concerto, his contemporary Dmitri Shostakovich composed his monumental Symphony No. 11, a cinematic portrayal of the 1905 Russian Revolution, incorporating quotations from revolutionary and folk songs.