The last of his three ballets, it was first performed in December 1892. In the night, Clara gets up to find the nutcracker. The German author E.T.A. A general dance follows, which is interrupted by the arrival of Councillor Drosselmeyer, who is Clara's godfather. Letters to various correspondents during June refer to work on the ballet. 5, 20. and more. And what is it that has eluded Tchaikovsky experts but has been instinctively grasped by the ballets millions of fans? The Prince is greeted by his sisters, and tells how Clara saved his life. The Nutcracker Ballet is a famous and colorful Christmas ballet based on 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,' a story in a book of fairy tales written by German author E. T. A. Hoffman in 1816 . Tchaikovsky's unfavourable attitude to the using The Nutcracker for a ballet scenario is reflected in a letter from Ivan Vsevolozhsky to Tchaikovsky of 9/21 August 1891: "I have experienced agonies of remorse for asking you to do this ballet. 17 and Nos. And the fact is that Tchaikovsky, once past his initial creative crisis, described Nutcracker in a letter to Modest as excellent, while Yolanta, the opera on which he had had high expectations, was in his estimation nothing special. On 17/29 June, Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest: "It is also good for me here, but work isn't going as quickly now as at first. Additionally, the scenery and costumes were panned as tasteless, and the performance of the ballerina who danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy was widely criticized. 88, No. Listen for the english horn at 0:44 tiny little part, but its a nicely contrasting tone color amid all the light and airy bounciness going on. Well, each has their own dance music. The toys come to life. The great success of Sleeping Beauty, involving the close collaboration between Vsevolozhsky, Tchaikovsky and the legendary choreographer Marius Petipa, inevitably prompted Vsevolozhsky to plan a sequel from the same team. I know that it is unappealing to you. Typically, ballets are the result of collaboration between a composer and a choreographer. The sequence of sketches in Act II indicates that the composer adhered to Marius Petipa's plan. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Nutcracker () [1], Op. At the time, it was met with lackluster reviews, but it is now a popular Christmas ballet. Then the old-woman-who-lived-in-a-shoe dances with all her children and a group of clowns. The instrumentation features a tambourine with the strings and woodwinds that enlivens the rhythm and orchestral sound. The grim-mouthed nutcrackers symbolized good luck. A famous ballet. 2), he noted that If the celesta is unavailable, then this part may be played on the piano. Beside one of the sketches for No. The premiere of the ballet, with the opera Iolanta, took place on 6/18 December 1892 in Saint Petersburg, at the Mariinsky Theatre, conducted by Riccardo Drigo, and produced by the balletmaster Lev Ivanov. The celestas (below) advantage over the glockenspiel was its ability to create through its keyboard the effect of a splashing fountain, as required by Petipa to accompany the Sugar-Plum Fairy. Composed 1892. "Waltz of the Flowers" is another relatively high tempo song, played in tempo di valse, meaning waltz tempo. Of form, this movement is also in an easy-to-follow ABA structure listen for the changes in roles as the piece progresses. And then just enjoy the huge ending. Tchaikovsky stayed in Saint Petersburg until 11/23 February, where, evidently, he received the choreographer Marius Petipa's manuscript plan of the first act of the ballet, which was dated "5 February 1891" [O.S.] In 1891, the director of a theater in Moscow commissioned Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) to write music for a Christmas ballet. 71a, 5. Ravel Piano Concerto in G, II. The Nutcracker () [1], Op. 10), Tchaikovsky noted: The artist performing the Celesta part should be a good pianist. 23 in A, I.Allegro. Tchaikovsky's ballet Nutcracker was just such a creation. The Nutcracker was first performed in Russia in 1892. It's the most implausible American tradition imaginable, an import from fin-de-sicle Russia straight to your hometown. The nutcracker acquired its iconic status through a globalized transmission of popular culture. The Nutcracker starts with an 'Overture' and then moves to the music of the Christmas party, including 'The March of the Children' and a dance between Clara and her nutcracker. The libretto was compiled by Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa [6], after the story of Histoire d'un Casse-Noisette (1845) by Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), which was an adaptation from the German of Der Nuknacker und Mauseknig (1816) by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) [7]. The titles of numbers in French (italic type) and Russian (Cyrillic) are taken from the published score, with English translations added in bold type. Tchaikovsky's manuscript score is now preserved in the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow (. This cheerful ornament inspired by the classic holiday story features the Nutcracker's face complete with mustache, while his tall red soldier's hat features delicate gold embroidery for that classic Christmas feel you love. There they witness many wonderful dances from all over the world, highlighted by the sugar plum fairy herself dancing with a regal cavalier. Hoffmann's book: "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatrical Museum, Before No. According to the composer, the audience was unenthusiastic: "The Nutcracker was staged quite well: it was lavishly produced and everything went off perfectly, but nevertheless, it seemed to me that the public did not like it. The right picture features a model dating back to ca. A. On 2/14 June the composer wrote to Anna Merkling: "At this moment my work is coming along very successfully" [36]. He also had a gift for drawing and design: rumour had it that his diplomatic career was wrecked by his talent as a caricaturist, which he applied to all, regardless of rank. Together they travel to the land of snow and the two dance together as snow falls all around them. And again, enjoy all the nice colors and textures going on, and appreciate how imaginative and visually evocative Tchaikovskys writing is. So, how did this ballet come about? In the divertissement, Tchaikovsky used dances that were originally written for Act I. On 23 March/4 April the instrumentation was completed, according to the date on the manuscript score. It has not been established whether Tchaikovsky composed anything on his way to Berlin. From their correspondence, and from Petipas original choreographic plan, we know that Vsevolozhsky originally intended to have the children perform a series of national dances in costumes presented as Christmas gifts in Act I. 71a. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Tchaikovsky was a Russian civil servant who entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory to study music at the age of 21. He described how wooden nutcrackers were carved as protective figures of strength and power. Yet The Nutcracker has become the most beloved of all ballets, a regular Christmas production on almost every major stage, especially in the United States where it has become as much a part of American tradition as the German Christmas tree. You are an exceptionally kind soul for not refusing me" [13]. Tchaikovsky was a Russian civil servant who entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory to study. In a letter to Pyotr Jurgenson of 25 January/6 February 1892 from Saint Petersburg, the composer reported: "I want to catch up with orchestrating some numbers from the new ballet, which I've promised will be played at a local Musical Society concert on 29 February" [O.S.] There are unexpected distractions" [38]. B section follows with trumpets leading a new melody in minor, and then were led safely back to the A section. She is thanked profusely. At the head of the opening Scene (Act II, No. A complete performance of The Nutcracker lasts around 90 minutes. If Nutcracker was originally intended, in a very real sense, as a ballet for children, this would explain its relatively simple yet brightly coloured themes, and why nearly all the dances, most particularly those in Act I originally intended for child dancers, are relatively short. Clara falls asleep with the Nutcracker in her arms. The date at the start of the fair copy of the Suite reads: "8 Feb. 1892 [O.S. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker has enchanted audiences around the world for over a century, but what is the secret to its enduring popularity? The Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome Prince, and he offers Clara a journey to his kingdom. The children burst into the room with some friends, and all join in a lively march round the room, before breaking into a galop. He had been turned into a nutcracker by the evil Mouse King, and only by the King's death could the Nutcracker regain his human form. The ballet is called "The Nutcracker" because Clara's adventure starts with her gift of a nutcracker. We are instantly drawn into the world of The Nutcracker with Tchaikovsky's Miniature Overture. Clara and her nutcracker, transformed into a prince, travel into the Land of Sweets, ruled by a sugar plum fairy. The Nutcracker Suite is based on E.T.A. Snowflakes fall and they are met by the King and Queen, who join their subjects in a swirling waltz. He produces these from a large cabbage and from a large pie, much to the children's delight. Mozart Piano Concerto No. The Sugar Plum Fairy ushers Clara and the prince to a sleigh pulled by reindeer. The wealthy Stahlbaum family, including daughter Clara and son Fritz, is having a Christmas party in their beautifully decorated mansion. After finishing the sketches of the ballet, Tchaikovsky left to spend some days in Saint Petersburg, and on his return he began to compose the opera Iolanta, and also to correct the full score of the opera Yevgeny Onegin. An abridged version was staged at the 51st Street Theater in New York on 17 October 1940 by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, choreographed by Alexandra Fedorova. Are we floating? In Moscow the first production of The Nutcracker did not take place until 21 May 1919, in a production at the Bolshoi Theatre by the balletmaster Aleksandr Gorsky, conducted by Nikolay Fyodorov. Adagioassai, 15. Notable in this ballet is Tchaikovsky's use of an instrument called a celesta, which is similar to the piano but higher and more delicate in tone. Next: Wrap-up of Tchaikovsky, and further suggested listening. Now, the original story is rather dark (involving bloody cuts, malevolent characters and angry adults), so in the mid-19th century, French author Alexander Dumas adapted it for a younger audience, making it less scary. In the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy (No. I arrived in Petersburg, and this morning here. Even beside these exotic colours, Tchaikovskys mastery of evocative orchestral colours remains peerless. At such moments Uncle Pyotr, red in the face, wet with perspiration as he sang the tune, presented a pretty amusing sight..
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