Tchaikovsky's twelve short 'character pieces' representing each month of the year were originally composed for solo piano. They were published as "The Seasons" and each had subtitles and poetic epigraphs. 'January' was subtitled "At the fireside" and its epitaph reads: "A little corner of peaceful bliss, the night dressed in twilight; the little fire is dying in the fireplace
and the candle has burned out."

The work has been orchestrated several times and the 'month'' heard here comes from the complete arrangement of "The Seasons" by British composer David Matthews. It is played by the Norddeutsche Rundfunk Orchestra, conductor Carl Davis, and is taken from a 1991 radio broadcast of the work's first performance.