The strains of symphony and sounds of jazz mixed at a special pre-Christmas concert in Moscow's Tchaikovsky concert hall on Saturday. A special concert in festive mood brought together prominent Russian jazzman Igor Butman and a symphony orchestra co

It's the first time the two have performed together. The programme featured compositions by Tchaikovsky, Rakhmaninov and Rimsky-Korsakov and allowed for plenty of improvisation adding a fresh twist to classical compositions.

Butman graduated from the prestigous Berkleе School of Music in Boston as saxophonist and a composer. In the 90's he paid his rent by performing in Russian restaurants on Brighton Beach in New York. Today, Igor Butman is not only a jazzman but also an art director of “Le Club,” a place where Russian jazz-lovers and musicians share their passion for music.

Aleksandr Skladovsky is the conductor of the National Orchestra and a close friend of Butman. The idea of performing classical Russian compositions in such an extraordinary form was born over a friendly dinner. And ever since then Butman and Skladovsky have been collaborating on putting on the concert. With the Holiday season getting underway, celebrations in Moscow are in full-swing.