Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite Program Notes
Young Clara Stahlbaum, in the story by E. T. A. Hoffman, is given a nutcracker doll with the appearance of a prince, by her godfather (and a magician), Drosselmeyer, at a Christmas party. After midnight, with nearly everyone asleep, the doll transforms into the prince it had formerly been, and Clara aids him in defeating the mouse king who had threatened to take over the house. With the exception of the March (from the early party), these selections are from the Second Act, in the Prince’s Land of Sweets, where they journey before Clara returns home. A sequence of dances represent exotic lands The Sugarplum Fairy welcomes them (she had ruled in the Prince’s absence), and there are other, and the Waltz of the Flowers. Tchaikovsky interrupted the ballet’s composition for a lucrative journey to conduct and perform for Carnegie Hall’s opening in New York, and also in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. On his way, in Paris, he heard the newly-invented celesta for the first time, and wrote his publisher in Berlin: It’s perfect for the ballet that I have to think about in America, but don’t tell Rimsky-Korsakov, because he’ll use it before me. The instrument’s orchestral debut would indeed be the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy. Danses Caractéristiques – Marche (March) – Danse de la Fée-Dragée (Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy) – Danse russe Trépak (Russian Dance: Trepak) – Danse Arabe (Arabian Dance) – Danse Chinoise (Chinese Dance) – Danse des Mirlitons (Dance of the Reed Pipes) Waltz of the FlowersThe Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a is an orchestral selection drawn from Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet The Nutcracker, composed in 1892. Tchaikovsky assembled the suite himself from eight of the ballet's most memorable numbers, creating one of the most frequently performed and recognized pieces of orchestral music in the world.
Tchaikovsky composed The Nutcracker in 1891 and 1892, and the complete ballet was premiered at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on December 18, 1892. The suite was performed several months earlier at a concert premiere that was enthusiastically received.
A typical performance of the suite lasts approximately 20 to 22 minutes.
Each of the eight movements has a distinct character and orchestral color — from the delicate Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy with its solo celesta to the whirling energy of the Russian Trepak and the stately grandeur of the Waltz of the Flowers. Listen for Tchaikovsky's extraordinary gift for melody and his inventive, colorful orchestration throughout.
Tchaikovsky was initially reluctant to accept the commission for The Nutcracker, finding the scenario slight and unworthy of his talents. He composed it under duress and was not fully satisfied with the result — yet it became his most universally beloved score and the most performed ballet in history, particularly during the Christmas season.
