The Nutcracker Ballet is a fairy tale ballet in two acts or three tableaus.
This ballet is perhaps the most popular ballet in the world and is performed primarily around Christmas time.
The Director of the
Russian Theater
In 1881, Ivan Vsevolojsky was appointed Director of the Imperial Theatres. His patronage led to the creation of the two great Marius Petipa and Peter Tchaikovsky masterpieces: The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.
Because of these 2 great ballets, he planned to use the same choreographer (Petipa) and composer (Tchaikovsky) in his next production. So in 1890, planing began in his new ballet, "The Nutcracker".
Although they were not immediately successful these three ballets have become considered by many to be the greatest ballets of all time show classical ballet at its best. They are definitely the most popular ballets in existence.
The Composer of the Nutcracker Music
The music of the Nutcracker Ballet was composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892. He was given a commission to write both a one-act opera and a ballet for the following season. The ballet was to be based on E.T.A. Hoffman's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,'' a selection which Tchaikovsky disliked.
Nevertheless, he began work in early 1892 before departing on a successful tour of the United States, and completed the music later that summer, though he disparaged it as "infinitely poorer than The Sleeping Beauty,'' a verdict with which subsequent ballet-goers have most emphatically and consistently disagreed.
ENCORE !! Tchaikovsky premiered the music for The Nutcracker Ballet Suite before the ballet was even produced. This eight-part concert version of the ballet music was a success. At least six times, the audience demanded immediate encores of specific music selections. Because of the Suite's instant success, the score was published even before the ballet premiered.
The Unforgettable
Nutcracker Music The music of Tchaikovsky has been featured in many movies and TV programs. We all quickly recognize the music whenever and wherever we hear it. It is the unforgettable sound of the celesta (pictured to the left), a unique instrument, that impresses us most as it causes the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy music to play again and again and remain in our heads.
Tchaikovsky had discovered the newly-invented instrument just before departing for the U.S., and was immediately captivated by its "divinely beautiful tone.'' He arranged to have one sent to Russia secretly, because he was "afraid Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov (2 other composers) may get hold of it and use the unusual effect before me.''
The Original Choreographers Marius Petipa, choreographer of the Nutcracker, was born in Marseilles, France. He was First ballet master to the Tzar of Russia. He is credited with ushering in the golden age of Classical Ballet. His ballets included Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Don Quoxite and the Nutcracker.
However, Petipa fell ill during the creation of the Nutcracker. Lev Ivanov was his assistant and he took over the choreography. He was a Russian dancer, teacher, choreographer, and ballet-master. Ivanov is created for much of the choreography for The Nutcracker, which is still used in today's productions.
First Performance of the Nutcracker Ballet - 1892
The first showing of the Nutcracker ballet was in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre of Russia shown in the photos below.
The performance was not very successful and received poor reviews from the critics. The black and white photo above is from the actual performance in 1892.
New York City Ballet
"The Nutcracker"
1954 & today
The first performance of The Nutcracker ballet in New York took place on Feb 2, 1954. The New York City Ballet performed the choregraphy of the famous George Balanchine. The photo on the right is from that 1954 production. The venue was the City Center shown in the photo on the left.
Today, the New York City Ballet performs the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Center shown in the photos below.
