| Important Ballets & *Revivals of Marius Petipa |
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*Paquita (1847, *1881) |
The Nutcracker (Russian: Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik) Op. See also Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Мариус Иванович Петипа (born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa on 11 March 1818 in Marseille, Kingdom For the Mexican singer see Paquita la del Barrio Paquita is a Ballet in two acts and three scenes with libretto by Joseph Mazilier and Le Corsaire is a Ballet typically presented in three acts with a scenario originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, loosely based The Pharaoh's Daughter ( The Daughter of the Pharaoh, Russian title Doch Faraona, French title La Fille du Pharaon) is a Ballet choreographed Tsar Kandavl; AKA Le Roi Candaule ( King Cadaules) is a Grand ballet in 4 Acts-6 Scenes with choreography by Marius Petipa Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by La Bayadère ( The Temple Dancer) ( Russian Баядерка - Bayaderka) is a Ballet, originally staged in four acts Giselle is a Ballet by Adolphe Adam. It has 2 acts 2 scenes with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Coppélia is a sentimental comic Ballet with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon to a ballet libretto by Saint-Léon and Charles Nuitter La Fille mal gardée is a comic Ballet presented in two acts inspired by 1789 painting Le Reprimande/Une Jeune Fille Querellée par sa Mère. La Esmeralda is a ballet in 3 acts 5 scenes inspired by Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, originally choreographed by Jules Perrot; with The Talisman (AKA Le Talisman or Il Talismino) - Fantastic Ballet in 4 Acts-7 Scenes with choreography by Marius Petipa The Sleeping Beauty ( Спящая Красавица, Spyashchaya Krasavitsa) is a Ballet in a prologue and three acts Opus 66 by Pyotr Cinderella (AKA Zolushka) - Ballet -féerie in 3 Acts with choreography by Enrico Cecchetti (Act I and Act III and The Awakening of Flora ( fr Le Réveil de Flore) (aka Flora's Awakening, though occasionally referred to incorrectly under such The Little Humpbacked Horse or The Tsar Maiden (aka Konyok Gorbunok ili Tsar-Devitsa, or Le Petit cheval bossu ou La Tsar-Demoiselle Raymonda ( Раймонда, the name of a main character is a Ballet in three acts four scenes with an Apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa The Seasons ( Времена года, Vremena goda; also Les saisons is an allegorical ballet in one act four scenes by the choreographer See also Commedia dell'arte Harlequinade is a type of theatrical performance piece usually a slapstick adaptation of the Commedia dell'arte Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages 71, is a fairy tale-ballet in two acts, three scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1891–92. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Alexandre Dumas père's adaptation of the story by E. T. A. Hoffmann was set to music by Tchaikovsky (written by Marius Petipa and commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1891). This article is about the story by E T.A Hoffmann For the ballet see The Nutcracker The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is a Story Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann ( January 24, 1776 &ndash June 25, 1822) better known by his Pen name E See also Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Мариус Иванович Петипа (born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa on 11 March 1818 in Marseille, Kingdom Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky (Иван Александрович Всеволожский 1835&ndash1909 was the Director of the Imperial Theatres in Russia In Western countries, this ballet has become perhaps the most popular ballet performed, primarily around Christmas time. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings
The composer made a selection of eight of the more popular numbers from the ballet before the ballet's December 1892 premiere, forming The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, intended for concert performance. The suite was first performed, under the composer's direction, on 19 March 1892 at an assembly of the St. Petersburg branch of the Musical Society[1]. The suite became instantly popular; the complete ballet did not achieve its great popularity until around the mid-1960s.
Among other things, the score of The Nutcracker is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument that the composer had already employed in his much lesser known symphonic poem The Voyevoda (premiered 1891). The celesta (pronounced /səˈlɛstə/ or celeste (pronounced /səˈlɛst/ is a struck Idiophone operated by a keyboard. A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of Orchestral Music in one movement in which some extramusical program provides a narrative or illustrative element ^ Although well-known in The Nutcracker as the featured solo instrument in the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from Act II, it is employed elsewhere in the same act.
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Instrumentation
Scored for:
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History
Composition history
Tchaikovsky himself was less satisfied with this than his last ballet. Though he accepted the commission from Ivan Vsevolozhsky, he did not particularly want to write it (though he did write to a friend while composing the ballet: "I am daily becoming more and more attuned to my task. Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky (Иван Александрович Всеволожский 1835&ndash1909 was the Director of the Imperial Theatres in Russia ")
While composing the ballet, Tchaikovsky is said to have argued with a friend who wagered the composer that he could not write a tune based on the notes of the octave in sequence. Tchaikovsky asked if it mattered whether the notes were in ascending or descending order, and was assured it did not. This resulted in the beautiful haunting tune of the Adagio Pas de Deux in the Second Act. The composer won his wager.
Performance history
St. Petersburg Premiere
The first performance of the ballet was held as a double premiere together with Tchaikovisky's last opera Iolanta on December 18, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. Iolanta (sometimes Iolanthe) ( Иоланта) is a lyric Opera, Opus 69 in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Mariinsky Theatre ( Мариинский театр, also spelled Maryinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of Opera and Ballet in Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Who exactly choreographed the first production has been debated. Although Lev Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the St. See also Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (1834 &ndash 1901 was a Russian Ballet Dancer and Choreographer and later Second Balletmaster Petersburg Imperial Theatres is often credited, contemporary accounts credit Marius Petipa, Premier Maître de Ballet of the St. See also Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Мариус Иванович Петипа (born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa on 11 March 1818 in Marseille, Kingdom Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The ballet was conducted by Riccardo Drigo, with Antoinetta Dell-Era as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Pavel Gerdt as Prince Coqueluche, Stanislava Belinskaya as Clara, Sergei Legat as the Nutcracker-Prince, and Timofei Stukolkin as Drosselmeyer. Riccardo Eugenio Drigo ( ru Риккардо Эудженьо Дриго a Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt, also known as Paul Gerdt (near St Peterburg, Russia, 22 November 1844 — Vamaloki, Finland
In other countries
The ballet was first performed outside Russia in 1934 in England and in the United States in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet, staged by its artistic director Willam Christensen. The San Francisco Ballet ( SFB) is a Ballet company, founded in 1933 as part of San Francisco Opera Ballet. Willam F Christensen (1902 – October 14 2001 was an American Ballet dancer choreographer and founder of the San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West New York City Ballet first performed George Balanchine's Nutcracker in 1954. New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze
Roles
Note: The two lists of characters below are derived from the score (see reprint of Soviet ed. : Peter Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker: a ballet in two acts. For piano solo. Op. 71. Melville, N. Y. : Belwin Mills Publ. Corp. , [n. d. ], p. 4). Productions of the ballet vary in their fidelity to this assignment of roles.
Characters (translated from Russian preliminaries of the Soviet ed. )
- President Silberhaus
- His wife
- Their children:
- Clara [Marie] ("Клара [Мари]" in the score)
- Fritz
- Marianna, the President's niece
- Councilor Drosselmeyer, Godfather of Clara and Fritz
- Nutcracker
- Sugar Plum Fairy, sovereign of sweets
- Prince Koklyush [Orgeat]
- Major-domo
- Harlequin
- Soldier
- Columbine
- Mama Gigogne [Mother Ginger]
- Mouse King
- Relatives, guests, people in costume, children, servants, mice, dolls, hares, toys, soldiers, gnomes, snowflakes, fairies, sweets, pastries, sweetmeats, moors, pages, princesses, retinues, buffoons, shepherdesses, flowers, etc.
The following more detailed, and somewhat different, extrapolation of the characters (in order of appearance) is drawn from an examination of the stage directions in the score (Soviet ed. , where they are printed in the original French with added Russian translation in editorial footnotes):
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ACT I
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Synopsis
The story has been published in many book versions including colourful children-friendly versions. The plot revolves around a German girl named Clara Stahlbaum or Clara Silverhaus. In some Nutcracker productions, Clara is called Marie. (In Hoffmann's tale, the girl's name actually is Marie or Maria, while Clara - or "Klärchen" - is the name of one of her dolls. )
Act I
The work opens with a brief “Miniature Overture”, which also opens the Suite. The music sets the fairy mood by using upper registers of the orchestra exclusively. The curtain opens to reveal the Stahlbaums' house, where a Christmas Eve party is under way. Clara, her little brother Fritz, and their mother and father are celebrating with friends and family, when the mysterious godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, enters. He quickly produces a large bag of gifts for all the children. All are very happy, except for Clara, who has yet to be presented a gift. Herr Drosselmeyer then produces three life-size dolls, which each take a turn to dance. When the dances are done, Clara approaches Herr Drosselmeyer asking for her gift. It would seem that he is out of presents, and Clara runs to her mother in a fit of tears and disappointment.
Drosselmeyer then produces a toy Nutcracker, in the traditional shape of a soldier in full parade uniform. Clara is overjoyed, but her brother Fritz is jealous, and breaks the Nutcracker.
The party ends and the Stahlbaum family go to bed. While everybody is sleeping, Herr Drosselmeyer repairs the Nutcracker. Then Clara wakes up and sees her window open. When the clock strikes midnight, Clara hears the sound of mice. She wakes up and tries to run away, but the mice stop her. Alternatively, perhaps Clara is still in a dream: the Christmas tree suddenly begins to grow to enormous size, filling the room. The Nutcracker comes to life, he and his band of soldiers rise to defend Clara, and the Mouse King leads his mice into battle. Here Tchaikovsky continues the miniature effect of the Overture, setting the battle music predominantly in the orchestra's upper registers.
A conflict ensues, and when Clara helps the Nutcracker by holding the Mouse King by the tail or throwing her shoe at the Mouse King, the Nutcracker seizes his opportunity and stabs him. The mouse dies. The mice retreat, taking their dead leader with them. The Nutcracker is then transformed into a prince. (In Hoffmann's original story, and in the Royal Ballet's 1985 and 2001 versions, the Prince is actually Drosselmeyer's nephew, who had been turned into a Nutcracker by the Mouse King, and all the events following the Christmas party have been arranged by Drosselmeyer in order to break the spell. The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England )
Clara and the Prince travel to a world where dancing Snowflakes greet them and fairies and queens dance, welcoming Clara and the Prince into their world. The score conveys the wondrous images by introducing a wordless children’s chorus. The curtain falls on Act I.
Act II
Clara and the Prince arrive at the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Sugar Plum Fairy and the people of the Land of Sweets dance for Clara and the Prince in the dances of Dew Drop Fairy, the Spanish dancers (sometimes Chocolate), the Chinese dancers (sometimes Tea), the Arabian dancers (sometimes Coffee), the Russian dancers (sometimes Candy Canes--their dance is called the Trepak), Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles (sometimes Bonbons, Taffy Clowns, or Court Buffoons in Baryshnikov's production), the Reed Flutes (sometimes Marzipan shepherds or Mirlitons), the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Waltz of the Flowers. Trepak (Трепак (Трoпак Трiпак refers to one of the most distinguished and celebrated dances in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 's Ballet The Nutcracker The dances in the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy are not always performed in this order.
After the festivities, Clara wakes up under the Christmas tree with the Nutcracker toy in her arms and the curtain closes. (In Balanchine's version, however, she is never shown waking up; instead, after all the dances in the Kingdom of Sweets have concluded, she rides off with the Nutcracker/Prince on a Santa Claus-like flying sleigh, complete with reindeer, and the curtain falls. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply " Santa " is the This gives the impression that the "dream" actually happens in reality, as in Hoffmann's original story. The 1985 Royal Ballet version seems to imply the same thing, since at the end, Drosselmeyer's nephew, who had really been transformed into a nutcracker, reappears in human form at the toymaker's shop. The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England )
New choreography
Willam Christensen
It was not until 1944 that the first complete production in the U. S. took place, performed by the San Francisco Ballet, and choreographed by Willam Christensen. The San Francisco Ballet ( SFB) is a Ballet company, founded in 1933 as part of San Francisco Opera Ballet. Willam F Christensen (1902 – October 14 2001 was an American Ballet dancer choreographer and founder of the San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West The company was the first in the U. S. to make the ballet an annual tradition, and for many years, the only company in the United States performing the complete ballet.
George Balanchine
- See also: List of New York City Ballet repertory
In 1954 George Balanchine followed in Christensen's footsteps by choreographing and premiering his New York City Ballet version. See also List of New York City Ballet 2009 Winter repertory, NYCB 2008 Spring Repertory, NYCB 2008 Winter Repertory New York City Ballet New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by Balanchine's Nutcracker has since been staged in New York every year, performed live on television twice - although its first television edition, on the TV anthology Seven Lively Arts, was severely abridged - and made into a poorly received full-length feature film starring Macaulay Culkin in 1993. The Seven Lively Arts was a short-lived Sunday afternoon Anthology television series produced in 1957 by CBS television and executive producer John Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor and writer The stage success of the Balanchine version contributed greatly to making productions of The Nutcracker annual Christmas season traditions all over the world - a phenomenon that did not really come to flower until the late 1960s. "Christmas season" redirects here For other uses see Christmas season (disambiguation. In Balanchine's version, the roles of Clara (here called Marie) and the Nutcracker are danced by children, and so their dances are choreographed to not be as difficult as the ones performed by the adults.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
The popularity of the Balanchine Nutcracker could be said to have been seriously challenged, however, by the highly acclaimed American Ballet Theatre version choreographed by and starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, which premiered in 1976 at the Kennedy Center, was re-staged for television and first telecast by CBS in 1977, and is now a TV holiday classic. See also American Ballet Theatre, based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov (Михаил Николаевич Барышников (born January 27, 1948) is a Soviet -born Russian The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (on the building itself called the John F CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network.
Baryshnikov omits the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Orgeat, and gives their dances to Clara and the Nutcracker/Prince; so that in his version, the two do not merely sit out most of the entire second act as they do in other productions (notably Balanchine's). In addition, although the Mother Ginger and her Clowns music is heard, we never see Mother Ginger herself, only four court clowns who perform the dance.
In Baryshnikov's version, contrary to what is often written, it is not Clara's brother Fritz who breaks the Nutcracker, but an unnamed drunken guest at the Christmas party who is trying to make the toy "grow" to life-size. He is last seen tipsily leaving with the other guests.
The stage version of this production originally starred Baryshnikov, Marianna Tcherkassky as Clara, and Alexander Minz as Drosselmeyer, However, for the TV version the role of Clara went to Gelsey Kirkland, and it is Kirkland, not Tcherkassky, who has been widely seen in this production of the ballet. Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29 1952, Bethlehem Pennsylvania) is an American ballet dancer Clara is considered one of Gelsey Kirkland's most memorable roles.
Except for Tcherkassky, the rest of the cast of this production also appeared in it on television. The television version was not a live performance of the ballet, but a special presentation shot on videotape in a TV studio (with no studio audience) in Toronto, Canada. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario
The Baryshnikov Nutcracker has since become both the most popular television version of the work and the bestselling videocassette and DVD version of the ballet. A bestseller is a Book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is It usually outsells not only every other video version of The Nutcracker, including the 1993 film of Balanchine's version, but every other ballet video as well. It is still telecast annually on some PBS stations. In 2004, it was re-mastered and reissued on DVD with a markedly improved visual image showing far greater detail and more vivid colors than before, as well as sound that, if not present-day state-of-the-art, was far better than its original 1977 audio. It is only one of two versions of the ballet to have been nominated for Emmys - the other was Mark Morris's intentionally exaggerated and satirical take on the ballet, The Hard Nut, telecast on PBS in 1992. See also Mark Morris (born August 29, 1956) is an American Modern dancer Choreographer and director (Seven Lively Arts did win an Emmy for Best New Program of 1957, so one could say that The Nutcracker was included in that win, although the award itself did not specifically say so. )
Years later, Alessandra Ferri danced the role of Clara in a stage revival of Baryshnikov's production. Alessandra Ferri (born in 1963 is an Italian ballerina She danced as a Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in New York as Prima ballerina
Mark Morris
In 1990, Mark Morris began work on his version of The Nutcracker, taking inspiration from the horror-comic artist Charles Burns. Charles Burns (born September 27, 1955 in Washington DC) is an award-winning U The art of Charles Burns is personal and deeply instilled with archetypal concepts of guilt, childhood, adolescent sexuality, and poignant, nostalgic portrayals of post-war America.
He enlisted a team of collaborators to create a world not unlike that of Burns’ world, where stories take comic book clichés and rearrange them into disturbing yet funny patterns.
Morris turned to Adrianne Lobel to create sets that would take Hoffmann’s tale out of the traditional German setting and into Burns’ graphic, black and white view of things. With these immense sets and scrims, lighting designer James F. Ingalls created a dark world within retro 1960s suburbia and costume designer Martin Pakledinaz created costumes that helped bring to life Burns’ world, described as being “at the juncture of fiction and memory, of cheap thrills and horror. ” The last of 10 pieces Mark Morris created during his time as Director of Dance at the National Opera House of Belgium, the piece was his most ambitious work to date. He called it The Hard Nut.
The Hard Nut premiered on January 12, 1991 at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, just short of the 100th anniversary of the creation of Tchaikovsky’s classic score. Audiences found it a shocking but exhilarating version of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, its impact still felt year after year. Shortly after the premiere, MMDG returned to the United States, having finished their three-year residency at the Monnaie. But the Monnaie seemed the most fitting stage to film the production so the company returned six months later with film crew in hand for encore performances in Belgium’s national opera house that were made available on VHS and Laserdisc. A DVD release is scheduled in 2007.
Recent Russian versions
There have been notable Russian productions of the ballet in recent years, performed by the Bolshoi Ballet and the Kirov Ballet respectively. The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect The Mariinsky Ballet, is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. These have also been released on DVD.
The music
The music in Tchaikovsky's ballet is some of the composer's most popular. The music belongs to the Romantic Period and contains some of his most memorable melodies, which are frequently used in television and film. Romantic Music is a Musicological term referring to a particular period theory compositional practice and canon in European music history from about 1815 to 1910 The Trepak, or Russian dance, is one of the most recognizable pieces in the ballet, along with the famous Waltz of the Flowers and March, as well as the ubiquitous Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Trepak (Трепак (Трoпак Трiпак refers to one of the most distinguished and celebrated dances in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 's Ballet The Nutcracker The ballet contains surprisingly advanced harmonies and a wealth of melodic invention unsurpassed in ballet music. Nevertheless, the composer's reverence for Rococo and late 18th century music can be detected in passages such as the Overture, the "Entrée des parents," and "Tempo di Grossvater" in Act I. Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design.
One novelty in Tchaikovsky's original score was the use of the celesta, a new instrument Tchaikovsky had discovered in Paris. The celesta (pronounced /səˈlɛstə/ or celeste (pronounced /səˈlɛst/ is a struck Idiophone operated by a keyboard. He wanted it genuinely for the character of the Sugar Plum Fairy to characterize her because of its "heavenly sweet sound". It appears not only in her "Dance," but also in other passages in Act II. Tchaikovsky also uses toy instruments during the Christmas party scene. Tchaikovsky was proud of the celesta's effect, and wanted its music performed quickly for the public, before he could be "scooped. " Everyone was enchanted.
Suites derived from this ballet became very popular on the concert stage. In Music, a suite is an ordered set of Instrumental or Orchestral pieces normally performed in a Concert The composer himself extracted a suite of eight pieces from the ballet, but that authoritative move has not prevented later hands from arranging other selections and sequences of numbers. Eventually one of these ended up in Disney's Fantasia. Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. In any case, The Nutcracker Suite should not be mistaken for the complete ballet.
Although the original ballet is only 90 minutes long, and therefore much shorter than Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty, some modern staged performances have omitted or re-ordered some of the music, or inserted selections from elsewhere, thus adding to the confusion over the suites. Swan Lake ( Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a Ballet, op The Sleeping Beauty ( Спящая Красавица, Spyashchaya Krasavitsa) is a Ballet in a prologue and three acts Opus 66 by Pyotr In fact, most of the very famous versions of the ballet have had the order of the dances slightly re-arranged, if they have not actually altered the music.
- For example, in The Nutcracker: a Fantasy on Ice, a television adaptation for ice skating from 1983 starring Dorothy Hamill and Robin Cousins and telecast on HBO, Tchaikovsky's score underwent not only reordering, but also insertion of music from his other ballets and also of music from Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov's Caucasian Sketches. Ice skating is Traveling on Ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) blade-like devices moulded into special Boots A study Dorothy Stuart Hamill (born July 26, 1956 in Chicago Illinois) is an American figure skater. Robin Cousins (born August 17, 1957 in Bristol) is a British retired competitive figure skater. Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (Russian Михаил Михайлович Ипполитов-Иванов ( &ndash January 28, 1935) was a Russian Caucasian Sketches are a pair of Orchestral suites written in 1894 and 1896 by the Russian Composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov.
- The 1954 George Balanchine New York City Ballet version, broadcast on TV in heavily abridged form in 1957 by CBS, restaged by the network in more complete form in 1958, and filmed with Macaulay Culkin in the title role for movie theatres in 1993, adds to Tchaikovsky's score an entr'acte that the composer wrote for Act II of "The Sleeping Beauty". See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor and writer Entr'acte is French for "between the acts" (German Zwischenspiel, Italian Intermezzo) It is used as a transition between the departure of the guests and the battle with the mice. During this transition, Clara's mother appears in the living room and throws a blanket over the girl, who has crept downstairs and fallen asleep on the sofa; then Drosselmeyer appears, repairs the Nutcracker, and binds the jaw with a handkerchief. In addition, the "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" is moved from near the end of Act II to near the beginning of the second act, just after the Sugar Plum Fairy makes her first appearance. To help the musical transition, the tarantella that comes before the dance is also cut.
- In 1964, on New Year's Eve, ABC-TV telecast a one-hour abridgement of choreographer Lew Christensen's version created for the San Francisco Ballet (the choreographer was one of Willam Christensen's brothers). The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Abridgement or abridgment is a term defined as "shortening" or "condensing" and is most commonly used in reference to the act of reducing a written work Lew Christensen (1909-1989 was a ballet dancer choreographer and director for many companies
- A filmed German-American co-production, first telecast in the United States by CBS in 1965, hosted and narrated by Eddie Albert, and choreographed by Kurt Jacob, featured a largely German, but still international cast made up from several companies, including Edward Villella, Patricia McBride and Melissa Hayden from the New York City Ballet. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Edward Albert Heimberger ( April 22, 1906 &ndash May 26, 2005) better known as Eddie Albert, was an American Actor See also JEssenia Villela (born October 1, 1936, Bayside New York) is an American Ballet dancer and Choreographer Patricia McBride is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. Melissa Hayden (born Mildred Herman April 25, 1923, Toronto; died August 9, 2006, Winston-Salem North Carolina) was a New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by It aired on CBS annually between 1965 and 1968, and then was withdrawn from American network television. Famed German dancer Harald Kreutzberg appeared (in what was probably his last role) in the dual roles of Drosselmeyer and the Snow King (though in one listing, Drosselmeyer has been re-christened Uncle Alex Hoffman — presumably a reference to E. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Harald Kreutzberg ( December 11, 1902, Reichenberg/ Liberec - April 25, 1968) was a German Dancer and Choreographer T. A. Hoffmann, who wrote the original tale). [1] This production cut the ballet down to a one-act version lasting slightly less than an hour, and drastically re-ordered all the dances, even to the point of altering the storyline (instead of defeating the Mouse King, who does not even appear in this production, Clara and the Nutcracker must now journey to the Castle of the Sugar Plum Fairy, where the Fairy will wave her wand and turn the Nutcracker back into a Prince). This production inserted some music from Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, as two bluebirds were brought in as characters to dance the Bluebird Pas de Deux from that work. The Sleeping Beauty ( Спящая Красавица, Spyashchaya Krasavitsa) is a Ballet in a prologue and three acts Opus 66 by Pyotr
- Rudolf Nureyev's 1967 version for the Royal Ballet, in which he dances both the roles of Drosselmeyer and the Prince, but not the Nutcracker, changes the order of some of the musical numbers, repeating the music of the "mice attack" and the departure of the guests at the end, and omitting the Final Waltz and Apotheosis which normally conclude the ballet. Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( Tatar: Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian: Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев It was videotaped in 1968.
- In Baryshnikov's American Ballet Theatre version, all of the original Tchaikovsky score is used, but the order of most of the dances in Act II (the section of the ballet with the least plot) is changed, and the "Arabian Dance" had to be omitted in the television version in order to bring the program in at 90 minutes (counting the three commercial breaks). See also American Ballet Theatre, based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century Drosselmeyer makes his appearance at the Christmas party earlier, just before the Marche, and the music normally used for his entrance is here used as scoring for the puppet show. Baryshnikov also turned the Adagio from the "Pas de Deux" into a dance for Clara and the Prince rather than one for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, making it the emotional climax by shifting it to immediately before the "Final Waltz and Apotheosis" which closes the ballet.
- Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker, staged in 1983 and filmed for movie theatres in 1986 (as Nutcracker: The Motion Picture) features sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak. See also Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB is a Ballet company based in Seattle Washington in the United States. Maurice Bernard Sendak (born June 10, 1928, in Brooklyn New York) is an American Writer and Illustrator of Children's literature It adds a duet from Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades that is heard during the Christmas party sequence. In addition, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is placed very early in the second act, rather than its traditional place toward the end, and is danced by the dream Clara. This one also omits the Sugar Plum Fairy herself. It should be noted that this version tries to be truer to E. T. A. Hoffmann’s original story, complete with its darker aspects and a second act with more context and flavor, although much of that flavor comes from the imaginations of Sendak and choreographer Kent Stowell, rather than from the actual Hoffmann story.
- In the Royal Ballet, London's 1985 version, telecast on A&E, Tchaikovsky's score is used and the original order of the dances is not changed at all, but the Mother Ginger dance is omitted. The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England This version was re-staged with some of the same dancers taking different roles, as well as with new dancers, in 2001. In the 2001 version, Alina Cojocaru danced the role of Clara, a role danced in 1985 by Julie Rose. Alina Cojocaru (born May 27, 1981) is a female principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet. Anthony Dowell, who had danced the Sugar Plum Fairy's Cavalier in 1985, danced the role of Drosselmeyer in the 2001 version, telecast by PBS. Sir Anthony James Dowell, CBE (born 16 February 1943 in London, United Kingdom) is a famous Ballet dancer and was The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the
- Another ice skating version, 1994's Nutcracker on Ice, starring Oksana Baiul as Clara and Victor Petrenko as Drosselmeyer, was originally telecast on NBC, and is now shown on several cable stations. Oksana Baiul (Оксана Баюл (born November 16, 1977) is a Ukrainian professional figure skater. Viktor Vasilovich Petrenko (Віктор Васильович Петренко born June 27, 1969) is a Ukrainian former competitive Figure skater The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's It was also condensed to slightly less than an hour, radically altering and compressing both the music and the storyline.
- Still another one-hour ice skating version, also called Nutcracker on Ice, was staged on television in 1995, starring Peggy Fleming as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Nicole Bobek as Clara, and Todd Eldredge as the Nutcracker. Peggy Gale Fleming (born July 27, 1948 in San Jose California) is an American Figure skater who won an Olympic Nicole Bobek (born August 23, 1977) is an American Figure skater. Todd James Eldredge (born August 28, 1971 in Chatham Massachusetts) is an American Figure skater.
- And yet another version of Nutcracker on Ice, this one starring Tai Babilonia as Clara and Randy Gardner as the Nutcracker/ Prince, was released straight-to-video in 1998, appearing on DVD in 2007. Tai Reina Babilonia (born September 22, 1959) is a US Figure skater, the partner of Randy Gardner. Randy Gardner (born 1958 is a US Figure skater, the partner of Tai Babilonia.
However, nearly all of the CD and LP recordings of the complete ballet present Tchaikovsky's score exactly as he originally conceived it. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio A gramophone
Structure
(Numbers given according to the piano score from the Soviet collected edition of the composer's works, as reprinted Melville, NY: Belwin Mills [n. d. ], in English where possible, with explanations added here in square brackets).
Act One
- Tableau I
- No. 1 Scene of decorating and lighting the Christmas tree
- No. 2 March
- No. 3 Little Gallop [of the children] and entry of the parents
- No. 4 Scene dansante [Drosselmeyer's arrival and distribution of presents]
- No. 5 Scene and dance of the Grandfather
- No. 6 Scene [Departure of the guests -- DAYTIME]
- No. 7 Scene [the battle]
- Tableau II
- No. 8 Scene [a pine forest in winter]
- No. 9 Waltz of the Snowflakes
Act Two
- Tableau III
- No. 10 Scene [Introduction]
- No. 11 Scene [Arrival of Clara and the Prince]
- No. 12 Divertissement
- a. Chocolate (Spanish dance)
- b. Coffee (Arabian dance)
- c. Tea (Chinese dance)
- d. Trepak (Russian Dance)
- e. Trepak (Трепак (Трoпак Трiпак refers to one of the most distinguished and celebrated dances in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 's Ballet The Nutcracker Dance of the Mirlitons [also known as "Dance of the Reed-Flutes," "Dance of the Shepherdesses," and "Marzipan"]
- f. Mother Ginger and the clowns [or "Mother Ginger and her children"]
- No. 13 Waltz of the Flowers [featuring the "Dew Drops" in Balanchine's production]
- No. 14 Pas de Deux: Adagio (Sugar-Plum Fairy and a cavalier)
- Variation I (for the male dancer) [Tarantella]
- Variation II (for the female dancer) [Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy]
- Coda
- No. 15 Final Waltz and Apotheosis
Concert excerpts and arrangements
Tchaikovsky: Suite from the ballet The Nutcracker
The suite derived and abridged from the ballet became more popular for a time than the ballet itself, partly due to its inclusion in Walt Disney's Fantasia. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. The outline below represents the selection and sequence of the Nutcracker Suite culled by the composer.
- I. Overture
- II. Danses caractéristiques
- a. Marche
- b. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy [ending altered from ballet-version]
- c. Russian Dance (Trepak)
- d. Arabian Dance
- e. Chinese Dance
- f. Reed-Flutes
- III. Waltz of the Flowers
Pletnev: Concert suite from The Nutcracker, for solo piano
The pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev adapted some of the music into a virtuosic concert suite for piano solo:
- a. Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev ( Russian: Михаил Васильевич Плетнёв Mikhail Vasil'evič Pletnëv - pronounced Pletnyóv) (born March
- b. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
- c. Tarantella
- d. Intermezzo
- e. Russian Trepak
- f. China Dance
- g. Andante
Popular adaptations
Pop versions
In 1962 a novelty boogie piano arrangement of the "Marche", entitled "Nut Rocker", was a #1 single in the UK, and #21 in the USA. Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such "Nut Rocker" was a single for B Bumble and the Stingers which went to number 1 in the UK singles chart in May 1962. Credited to B. Bumble and the Stingers, it was produced by Kim Fowley and featured studio musicians Al Hazan (piano), Earl Palmer (drums), Tommy Tedesco (guitar) and Red Callender (bass). B Bumble and the Stingers was an instrumental ensemble in the early 1960s who specialized in making Rock and roll arrangements of classical melodies Kim Fowley (born July 21, 1939) is an American Record producer, Impresario, Songwriter and occasional Recording artist Session musicians are musicians available for hire as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical outfit or who have acquired fame in their own right Earl Cyril Palmer ( October 25, 1924 - September 19, 2008) was an American Drummer and member of the Rock and Roll Thomas J Tedesco ( July 3 1930 &ndash November 10 1997) was an American master "Nut Rocker" has subsequently been covered by many others including The Shadows, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and the Dropkick Murphys. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released The Shadows are an English instrumental and vocal Rock and roll group active from the 1950s to the 2000s Emerson Lake & Palmer ( ELP) were an English Progressive rock supergroup. Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, U "Nut Rocker" is commonly connected to the NHL team the Boston Bruins. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The Boston Bruins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Boston Massachusetts. In 2004, The Invincible Czars (from Austin, Texas) arranged, recorded, and now annually perform the entire suite for rock band - guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, trumpet, saxophone, and violin - reinventing the music with the stylistic, rhythmic, and dynamic twists and turns that mark their original music.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra's first album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories, includes an instrumental piece entitled "A Mad Russian's Christmas," which is a rock version of music from The Nutcracker. Trans-Siberian Orchestra (often abbreviated as TSO) is a rock Orchestra founded by Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel, and Jon Christmas Eve and Other Stories is a CD of Christmas carols by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
On the other end of the scale is the humorous Spike Jones version released in December 1945 and again in 1971 as part of the long play record Spike Jones is Murdering the Classics, one of the rare comedic pop records to be issued on the prestigious RCA Red Seal label. Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones ( December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was a popular musician and bandleader specializing in performing
Musical comedy version
During the Christmas season of 1961, ABC presented a musical special on television entitled The Enchanted Nutcracker. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. It starred Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence, with child actress Linda Canby as Clara, and featured a script by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who had written the libretto for Kiss Me, Kate. Robert Gerard Goulet ( November 26 1933 – October 30 2007) was a Canadian Grammy - and Tony Award - winning Carol Lawrence (born September 5 1932, Melrose Park Illinois) is a Musical theater Actress, who has also made many appearances on Samuel ( September 16, 1899 - October 14, 1971) and Bella Spewack ( March 25, 1899 - April 27, Kiss Me Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The show, advertised as a "free adaptation" of The Nutcracker, was choreographed by Carol Haney. Carol Haney ( December 24, 1924 – May 10, 1964) was an American dancer and actress Information on this program is currently scant, so it is not clear how much of Tchaikovsky's music was used, but the story was still about a nutcracker who comes to life and takes a little girl to the Kingdom of Sweets. The Nutcracker was portrayed, not by a dancer, but by French actor Pierre Olaf, who also played a new character named Dr. Gombault. Patrick Adiarte, who had played Prince Chulalongkorn in the 1956 film The King and I, also played a Prince in The Enchanted Nutcracker, though clearly, the Nutcracker and the Prince were two entirely different characters in this version. Patrick Adiarte (born 2 August, 1943) is an American theater film and television actor and dancer known for his portrayal of foreign or Asian characters in Chulalongkorn ( Rama V) (royal name Phra Chula Chomklao Chaoyuhua; พระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว The King and I is a 1956 Musical film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett The roles that Goulet and Lawrence played were also created especially for this adaptation. [2] This television production was shown once and then fell into complete obscurity, never even being rerun on ABC-TV.
Animated versions
There have been several animated versions of the original story, but none can really be actually considered an animated version of the ballet itself. All of these invent characters that appear neither in the original E. T. A. Hoffmann story nor in the ballet.
- Selections from the Nutcracker Suite were heard in the 1940 Disney animation film Fantasia. Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. In this film, the music from The Nutcracker is accompanied by dancing fairies, mushrooms and fish, among others and, as Deems Taylor mentions, the Nutcracker itself is nowhere in sight. A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair A mushroom is the fleshy Spore -bearing Fruiting body of a Fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two As mentioned before, this suite should not be mistaken for the entire Nutcracker. The suite used is a slightly altered version of the Nutcracker Suite selected by the composer [see The Suite in this article]. This version omits the Overture and the Marche, and the remaining dances are reordered (Note: The accompanying animation is provided in parentheses):
-
- 1. Danses caractéristiques
- a. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy (Dew Fairies)
- b. Chinese Dance (Chinese Mushrooms)
- c. Reed-Flutes (Blossoms)
- d. Arabian Dance (Goldfish)
- e. Russian Dance (Thistles and Orchids)
- 2. Waltz of the Flowers (Frost Fairies & Snow Fairies)
- 1. Danses caractéristiques
- In 1979, a stop-motion puppet version, entitled Nutcracker Fantasy, was released, using some of the Tchaikovsky music. Stop motion (or frame-by-frame) animation is an Animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own Nutcracker Fantasy is an animated film by Sanrio, loosely based on Tchaikovsky 's ballet The Nutcracker and E This version featured the voices of Christopher Lee as Drosselmeyer, and Melissa Gilbert as Clara. Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE, CStJ (born 27 May 1922 is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Saturn Award-winning English Actor Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, Writer and producer, primarily in Movies and
- Care Bears: The Nutcracker was an 1988 animated television special based extremely loosely on the original ballet. Care Bears Nutcracker Suite is the third and final television special to feature the Care Bears characters It was made for video, and was first shown on TV on the Disney Channel. For the Disney Channel in other countries see Disney Channel around the world.
- In 1990, another animated version, The Nutcracker Prince, starring the voices of Kiefer Sutherland and Megan Follows, was released. The Nutcracker Prince is a 1990 animated film made by Lacewood Productions and released by Warner Bros Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland He has Scottish ancestry from both parents and is the grandson of Canadian politician Tommy Douglas. Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows (born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian /American actress This one also used Tchaikovsky's music, but was actually a straightforward full-length animated cartoon, not a ballet film.
- The Jetlag Productions animation studio produced its own version of the story in 1994 entitled, simply "The Nutcracker". Jetlag Productions is an American - Japanese Animation studios that just like the similar studio Golden Films, has created a number of Animated The animated adaptation used some of Tchaikovsky's compositions as well as some original melodies and songs.
- In 1999, a comedy version entitled The Nuttiest Nutcracker became the first computer-animated film released straight to video. The Nuttiest Nutcracker was a 1999 Film directed by Harold Harris. Computer-generated imagery Computer animation is the art of creating moving images with the use of Computers It is a subfield of Computer graphics An example of the skewed tone that this version took may be inferred from the fact that Phyllis Diller provided the voice of an obese Sugar Plum Fairy. Bold text Phyllis Diller (born Phyllis Driver, July 17, 1917) is a Golden Globe -nominated American comedienne Some of Tchaikovsky's music was used.
- Barbie in the Nutcracker is a direct-to-video version of the story starring, of course, Barbie the doll, released in 2001. Barbie in the Nutcracker is a 2001 computer animated Direct-to-video Barbie film directed by Owen Hurley Barbie is a best-selling fashion Doll launched in 1959 The doll is produced by Mattel Inc It significantly alters the storyline.
- Princess Tutu, an anime that uses elements from many ballets as both music and as part of the storyline, uses the music from The Nutcracker in many places throughout its run, including using an arranged version of the overture as the theme for the main character. is a Magical girl Anime created by Ikuko Itoh in 2002 for Animation studio Hal Film Maker. (anime in Japanese, Both the first and last episodes feature The Nutcracker as their 'theme', and one of the main characters is named Drosselmeyer.
- A House of Mouse special Snowed in at the House of Mouse included an animated short, starring Mickey Mouse as the Nutcracker, Minnie Mouse as Clara, Professor Ludwig von Drake as a character based on Herr Drosselmeyer, Goofy as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Donald Duck as the "Duck-stroke-Mouse-stroke-King-type-person" (or the Mouse King) portrayed a brief overview of the story, narrated by John Cleese. Disney's House of Mouse is an American Animated Television series, produced by Walt Disney Television, that originally aired from Mickey's Magical Christmas Snowed in at the House of Mouse is the first direct-to-video movie spin off from the Disney Channel Animated television Mickey Mouse is a comic animal Cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Minnie Mouse is an Animated cartoon of the Mickey Mouse universe featured in Animated cartoons Comic strips and Comic book by Goofy is an Animated cartoon character from Walt Disney 's Mickey Mouse universe. Donald Duck is a cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer The story ran with modern rock-style musical accompaniment.
- In 2004, Argus International in Moscow produced an animated version of "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", though it has a different tale to tell. The US version was released in 2005 and it features the voices of Leslie Nielsen as the Mouse King, Robert Hays as the mouse Squeak, Fred Willard as the mouse Bubble, and Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame) as the voice of Herr Drosselmeyer. Leslie William Nielsen OC (born February 11 1926 is a Canadian-American Emmy Award -nominated Comedian and actor Robert Hays (born July 24, 1947) is an American actor He is well known for his role in the 1980 movie Airplane! and Fred Willard (born September 18 1939 He also appeared as KVWN news director "Ed Harken" in Anchorman The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and in American Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television
- A 2007 straight-to-video animated film, Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale, features, of course, the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, and incorporates elements of the ballet, including some of Tchaikovsky's music, into the film. Tom and Jerry A Nutcracker Tale is a 2007 holiday themed animated direct-to-video film starring Academy Award -winners Tom and Jerry produced Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical Short subjects (cartoons created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer However, it uses a very different storyline. As in Fantasia, none of the actual characters in the ballet appear, including the Nutcracker himself.
Jazz versions
In 1960, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn arranged their own adaptation of the Nutcracker Suite for the Duke Ellington Orchestra featuring the Overture, Toot Toot Tootsie Toot (Dance of the Reed-Flutes), Peanut Brittle Brigade (March), Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy), the Entr'acte, The Volga Vouty (Russian Trepak), Chinoiserie (Chinese Tea), Dance of the Floreadores (Waltz of the Flowers), and Arabesque Cookie (Arabian Coffee). Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn ( November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American Composer, Pianist The suite is arranged for the traditional five saxophones (two alto, two tenor, one baritone), four trumpets, a small three trombone section, drums, piano and bass, with second alto doubling on clarinet, bamboo flute, both tenors doubling on clarinet, baritone doubling on bass clarinet, and first trumpet doubling on tambourine. The arrangement has been played by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra side-by-side with the New York Philharmonic performing the respective original movements. Wynton Learson Marsalis (b October 18, 1961) is an American Trumpeter and Composer. The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active Symphony Orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842 In 1999, the arrangement was expanded to fit Donald Byrd's adaptation of The Nutcracker with modern choreography and themes revolving around an African-American family in Harlem, and an aged Clara's experience through the Civil Rights movement. David Berger composed, arranged, performed, and recorded expansions from Ellington and Strayhorn's suite to mesh with the modern ballet.
In 2001, another jazz version appeared on television, this one entitled The Swinging Nutcracker.
Another one, using the Ellington-Strayhorn jazz arrangement of the score, and entitled Nutcracker Sweeties, very recently (2006) appeared on cable television, and is available on DVD. It sets the ballet in the United States during the 1940s, and all of the dances, except for the last two, which he actually sees, are visualized by a World War II soldier on leave roaming the streets of New York in a rented car and listening to the jazz arrangement, which is being broadcast over the radio. The choreography is by David Bintley, and the work is performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Birmingham Royal Ballet ( BRB) is one of the UK's foremost Ballet companies based at the Birmingham Hippodrome in Birmingham,
A variation of The Nutcracker is performed in the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located This article is about the 1967 film For the Broadway musical see Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical. During a scene in a speakeasy, "The Nuttycracker Suite" is played. A speakeasy was an establishment that surreptitiously sold Alcoholic beverages during the period of United States history known as Prohibition (1920-1933 It features jazz versions of the famous dances within The Nutcracker, especially the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Commercials
A humorous adaptation of "The Dance of the Reed Flutes" was used in a 1975 television commercial for "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut" chocolate bars by the Birmingham UK -based chocolate manufacturer Cadbury. The commercial was voiced by writer and television personality Frank Muir and first line of the ditty was "Everyone's a Fruit and Nut case". Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 - 2 January 1998 was an English Comedy writer radio and television personality and raconteur
Discography
Many recordings have been made since the early twentieth century of the Nutcracker Suite, but it was not until the LP album was developed that recordings of the complete ballet began to be made. Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓ Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter Because the ballet's approximate hour and a half length, it fit very comfortably onto two LPs. Most CD recordings take up two discs, often with fillers due to the under ninety-minute length of the ballet. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio An unusual exception is the Valery Gergiev recording, which runs for 81 minutes, and thus fit onto one CD. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери
1954, the year in which the Balanchine version of the ballet was first staged, was also the year that the first complete recording - in mono sound - appeared on Mercury Records. Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of It was performed by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antal Dorati, who years later went on to record it complete twice more with other orchestras, on Mercury Records in 1962 and on Philips Records in 1975 respectively. The Minnesota Orchestra is an American Orchestra based in Minneapolis Minnesota. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Antal Doráti KBE ( April 9, 1906 &ndash Philips Records is a Record label that was founded by Dutch electronics giant Philips. These later recordings were both made in stereo. Some have hailed the 1975 recording, featuring the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, as the finest ever made of the complete ballet. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (In Dutch: Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest) is the best-known and most respected Symphony orchestra of the [3] It also is faithful to the score in employing a boys choir in the Waltz of the Snowflakes. Many other recordings use an adult or mixed choir.
In 1956, the conductor Artur Rodzinski made a complete recording of the ballet on stereo master tapes for Westminster Records, but because stereo was not possible on the LP format in 1956, the ballet was issued in stereo on magnetic tape, and only a mono LP set was issued. Artur Rodziński ( January 1, 1892 &ndash November 27, 1958) was a Polish conductor. Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical Westminster Records was an American Classical music record label Magnetic tape is a medium for Magnetic recording generally consisting of a thin magnetizable coating on a long and narrow strip of Plastic. (Recently, the Rodzinski performance was issued in stereo on CD. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio )
In 1958, the first stereo LP of the complete ballet, with Ernest Ansermet conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, appeared on Decca Records in the UK and London Records in the U. Ernest Alexandre Ansermet ( November 11, 1883 &ndash February 20, 1969) was a Swiss conductor. The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland OSR) was founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. London Records is a Record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin S. . And with the advent of the stereo era coinciding with the growing popularity of the complete ballet, many other complete recordings of it have been made over the last 30 years. Notable conductors who have done so include Maurice Abravanel, Andre Previn, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Seiji Ozawa, Richard Bonynge, Semyon Bychkov and Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. Maurice Abravanel ( January 6, 1903 &ndash September 22, 1993) was a Swiss - American Jewish conductor WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> André Previn ( Andreas Ludwig Priwin) KBE (b WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери Mariss Jansons (born January 14, 1943) is a Latvian conductor, the son of conductor Arvīd Jansons. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations Richard Bonynge, CBE (last name pronounced "bonning" (born 29 September 1930 is an Australian Conductor and pianist WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Semyon Bychkov ( Семён Бычков born November 30 WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky (Генна́дий Никола́евич
The soundtrack of the 1977 Baryshnikov television production, conducted by Kenneth Schermerhorn, was issued in stereo on a CBS Masterworks 2 LP-set, but it has not appeared on CD. Kenneth Dewitt Schermerhorn ( November 20, 1929 &ndash April 18, 2005) was an American Composer and Orchestra Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical CBS Masterworks Records was a subsidiary of CBS Records producing classical and spoken-word releases as well as Broadway albums (The 78-minute soundtrack would today fit quite easily onto one CD. ) The LP soundtrack recording was, for a time, the only stereo album of the Baryshnikov Nutcracker available, since the show was originally telecast only in mono, and it was not until recently that it began to be telecast with stereo sound.
The first complete recording of the ballet in digital stereo was issued in 1985, on a 2-CD RCA set featuring Leonard Slatkin conducting the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. A digital system uses discrete (discontinuous values usually but not always Symbolized Numerically (hence called "digital" to represent information for RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1 1944 is an American The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra ( SLSO) an American Symphony orchestra based in St This album originally had no "filler", but it has recently been re-issued on a multi-CD set containing complete recordings of Tchaikovsky's two other ballets, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Swan Lake ( Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a Ballet, op The Sleeping Beauty ( Спящая Красавица, Spyashchaya Krasavitsa) is a Ballet in a prologue and three acts Opus 66 by Pyotr
The two major theatrical film versions of the ballet, Nutcracker: The Motion Picture, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, and George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, conducted by David Zinman, have each had soundtrack recordings as well. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras AC CH WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> David Zinman (b
Notable albums of excerpts from the ballet, rather than just the usual Nutcracker Suite, were recorded by Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra for Columbia Masterworks, and Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for RCA Victor. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Eugene Ormandy ( November 18, 1899 &ndash March The Philadelphia Orchestra is an Orchestra based in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, in the United States. Columbia Masterworks Records was a Record label started in 1927 by Columbia Records. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner ( December 19, 1888 The Chicago Symphony Orchestra ( CSO) is an American orchestra based in Chicago Illinois. Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, as well as Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra have also recorded albums of extended excerpts. Arthur Fiedler should not be confused with Arthur Fielder, a Kent Fast bowler of the 1900s The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO founded four years earlier Erich Kunzel Jr (b March 21 1935, New York City) is an American conductor The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a Pops orchestra based in Cincinnati Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 Neither Ormandy, Reiner, nor Fiedler ever recorded a complete version of the ballet; however, Kunzel's album of excerpts runs 73 minutes, containing more than two-thirds of the music.
Conductors who have recorded only the Nutcracker Suite include such luminaries as Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Mstislav Rostropovich, Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Neville Marriner and James Levine, among many others. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (born June WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Leopold Stokowski (born Leopold Anthony Stokowski though on occasion WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich KBE ( Russian: Мстисла́в WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Herbert von Karajan ( April 5 WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Georg Solti, KBE ( 21 October 1912 Sir Neville Marriner (born April 15, 1924) is an English conductor and Violinist. James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist.
Josh Perschbacher's 2007 organ arrangement and recording included only the Overture, Marche, Dance Sugar Plum Fairy, Russian Dance, Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance, Dance of the Mirlitons, and Waltz of the Flowers. This more closely resembles the selections in Walt Disney's Fantasia (see animated versions above)
Samples
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Variation of the Sugar-plum Fairy - Problems playing the files? See media help. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics.
References
- ^ Alexander Poznansky, Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man, p. 544
- ^ The Enchanted Nutcracker (1961) (TV)
- ^ Nutcracker
External links
- mp3 audio files of The Nutcracker created using the Garritan Personal Orchestra are located at: http://www.garritan.com/audio/index.html
- mp3 streaming of The Nutcracker created using Notion Software are located at: http://www.notionmusic.com/
- mp3 audio files of The Nutracker arranged and recorded for organ are located near the bottom of page: http://www.joshperschbacher.com/recordings.htm
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