The Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky’s perennial Christmas ballet The Nutcracker (1892) is now a firm family favourite, yet initially it was the orchestral suite that stole all the headlines because the first theatre production, presented as a double bill with his new one-act opera Iolanta, was not a success. It wasn’t until two celebrated London productions in the 1930s—the first outside Russia—starring Alicia Markova and Margot Fonteyn that the special qualities of this most delightful of ballet scores were fully appreciated. Tailoring The Nutcracker for a younger audience, Tchaikovsky keeps the running time to a deft 90 minutes (roughly half the time required for Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty). Among the various enchantments are the magical sound of the newly invented celesta in the “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy” and a rousing skirmish between the Nutcracker Prince’s tin soldiers and the Mouse King’s army. The ballet opens in a family home on Christmas Eve. A mysterious visitor presents the child Clara with a nutcracker in the form of a toy soldier. When everyone has retired to bed, Clara tiptoes back downstairs, whereupon all the toys spring to life. Following the battle, the nutcracker turns into a handsome prince, the scene is transformed into a kingdom of sweets and after a series of entertainments, Clara journeys away with her prince.