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What is the origin of The Nutcracker Suite?
The origin of The Nutcracker has its roots in the great success of The Sleeping Beauty ballet. This ballet was staged at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1890. He picked Hoffmann’s 1816 fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” as the subject for the new ballet.
What do you know about The Nutcracker?
Nutcracker, a classic Christmas Story, is a fairy tale ballet. Conceptualized and first performed back in Christmas 1892, this ballet is the most popular dance to be performed around Christmas time even today. The story of this ballet revolves around the personal awakening of a young girl- Clara, over one Christmas.
What do you mean by Nutcracker Suite?
noun. a ballet and concert suite (1892) arranged by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky from his orchestral work for a ballet, The Nutcracker.
What key is The Nutcracker Suite?
By Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Why is The Nutcracker so popular?
It’s the juvenile warmth of the excited children in the party scene. It’s the familiarity of the whole production, even if you’re just seeing it for the first time. It’s the ballet’s ability to reach out and touch a part of you that triggers a warm holiday memory — that’s The Nutcracker.
Why are toy soldiers called nutcrackers?
Why are they called wooden toy soldier nutcrackers? Because the first nutcrackers were made as replicas of soldiers and other figures of authority. The common folk took great enjoyment in having the ruling people working for them, cracking their “hard nuts of life”.
Who gives Clara The Nutcracker?
Drosselmeyer
Drosselmeyer. Drosselmeyer is Clara’s kind but mysterious godfather. He entertains the guests at the Christmas party with magic tricks, such as presenting clockwork toys which seem to move independently and floating objects in the air! He entrusts Clara with the Nutcracker doll, which is very special to him.
Where was the nutcracker first performed?
St. Petersburg
Selections from The Nutcracker were first performed as an orchestral suite in March 1892. The ballet proper debuted in December of that year. It was presented at St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre on a double bill with Tchaikovsky’s one-act opera, Iolanta.
Who is the composer of the Nutcracker Suite?
The Nutcracker Suite is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1960 featuring jazz interpretations of “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky , arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn .
What is the plot of the Nutcracker?
The story of The Nutcracker is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann fantasy story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King , about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King.
What is the summary of the Nutcracker?
The story of The Nutcracker is loosely based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann fantasy story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King. Nov 15 2019
What is the music in the Nutcracker?
The music in the Nutcracker ballet is very light and sweet. It uses the high parts of the orchestra and clever combinations of woodwind instruments to create a doll-like fantasy sound-world. The Nutcracker Ballet was the first work by a major composer which made use the celesta (like a piano, but more glassy).