Nutcracker, The, is a popular classical ballet that has become a tradition during the Christmas season. The Nutcracker is known for its spectacle and its familiar music. The Nutcracker suite (1892), which consists of the most familiar melodies from the ballet, is one of the standard works for symphony orchestras.
The Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky wrote the music for The Nutcracker. The ballet received its first performance in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. The Nutcracker is based on a story called “Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (1816) by the German writer E. T. A. Hoffmann. The ballet story was prepared by Marius Petipa, a French-born choreographer (dance designer) working in Russia. The Russian choreographer Lev Ivanovich Ivanov created the original dances. Since the first performance of The Nutcracker, many of the world’s leading choreographers have created their own versions of the ballet. The ballet’s best-known dances include “Waltz of the Flowers,” “Russian Dance,” and “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy.”
Loading the player...Nutcracker Overture
The ballet story begins with young Clara receiving the gift of a nutcracker as a Christmas present from her godfather Drosselmeyer. The nutcracker resembles a toy soldier. Clara falls asleep and dreams that she defends the nutcracker against the King of the Mice. The nutcracker then changes into a handsome prince. He takes Clara on a journey through a snowstorm, where they meet the Snow King and the Snow Queen. They finally enter the Kingdom of Sweets. There, Clara and the prince are entertained by a series of dances, including “The Arabian Dance” and “The Waltz of the Flowers,” before Clara awakes from her dream.
Loading the player...The Waltz of the Flowers
