Story : In the first episode of this season, we bring you musical excerpts from the masterpiece "The Sleeping Beauty," a ballet by Tchaikovsky. The conductor is Alexander Vedernikov, the great Russian maestro. The maestro himself chose the excerpts. The NHK Symphony Orchestra leads Japan's classical music world and it held its first concert in 1927 and has since performed regularly for over 90 years. It continues its excellent performance to this day. Please enjoy the wonderful synergy of the orchestra and the maestro, together with the pre-performance talk by music critic Katayama Morihide and presenter Yamamoto Miki. *Alexander Vedernikov passed away on October 29, 2020. We extend our heartfelt condolences.