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The Nutcracker
from the Loyal Ballet
based on a story by ETA Hoffman
music by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nutcracker (Russian: Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik) Op. 71, is a fairy tale-ballet in two acts, three tableaux, by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1891–92, and based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (German: Der Nussknacker und der Mäusekönig), a story by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1816). Alexandre Dumas père's adaptation of the story was set to music by Tchaikovsky (after a libretto possibly written by Marius Petipa and commissioned by the administrator of the Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1891).age:[In Western countries, this ballet has become perhaps the most popular ballet performed, primarily around Christmas time.
A selection of eight of the more popular numbers from the ballet was made by the composer 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. Some indication of how much The Nutcracker Suite once eclipsed the fame of the ballet may be found in Deems Taylor's commentary in the roadshow version of Walt Disney's 1940 animated film Fantasia, which features the suite as one of the animated segments. Taylor observes matter-of-factly, "[The ballet] isn't performed anymore", a statement which certainly does not hold true today, and, indeed, has not been true since the mid-1950s, when George Balanchine's production achieved great popularity in New York.
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).^ 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.
Story
The story has been published in many book versions including colorful 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.)
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. 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, which can be heard in several commercials during the Christmas season. 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.
One novelty in Tchaikovsky's original score was the use of the celesta, a new instrument Tchaikovsky had discovered in Paris. 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. 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. 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. 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.
The ballet
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).
Overture
Act One
Tableau I
1. Scene of decorating and lighting the Christmas tree
2. March
3. Little Gallop [of the children] and entry of the parents
4. Scene dansante [Drosselmeyer's arrival and distribution of presents]
5. Scene and dance of the Grandfather
6. Scene [Departure of the guests -- night]
7. Scene [the battle]
Tableau II
8. Scene [a pine forest in winter]
9. Waltz of the Snowflakes
Act Two
Tableau III
10. Scene [Introduction]
11. Scene [Arrival of Clara and the Prince]
12. Divertissement
a. Chocolate (Spanish dance)
b. Coffee (Arabian dance)
c. Tea (Chinese dance)
d. Trepak (Russian Dance)
e. 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"]
13. Waltz of the Flowers [featuring the "Dew Drops" in Balanchine's production]
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
15. Final Waltz and Apotheosis
Retrived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker
Glad that you like it. Have a great weekend.
芭蕾舞剧《胡桃夹子》是世界上最优秀的芭蕾舞剧之一，它之所以能吸引千千万万的观众，一方面是由于它有华丽壮观的场面、诙谐有趣的表演，但更重要的原因是柴科夫斯基的音乐赋予舞剧以强烈的感染力。
《胡桃夹子》剧本是根据德国名作家霍夫曼的童话《胡桃夹子和鼠王》改编的，全剧共分两幕，描绘了儿童的独特天地。舞剧的音乐充满了单纯而神秘的神话色彩，具有强烈的儿童音乐特色。剧情大致为：圣诞节，女孩玛丽得到一只胡桃夹子。夜晚，她梦见这胡桃夹子变成了一位王子，领着她的一群玩具同老鼠兵作战。后来又把她带到果酱山，受到糖果仙子的欢迎，享受了一次玩具、舞蹈和盛宴的快乐。
Source: http://www.cctv.com/lm/769/1.shtml
两幕三场梦幻芭蕾舞剧，作于1892年。剧本是彼季帕根据恩斯特·霍夫曼的童话《胡桃夹子和鼠王》及大仲马的改编本写成的。作者从舞剧中选了六首曲子作为《胡桃夹子组曲》，同年3月7日在一次交响乐演奏会上首演，获得了巨大的成功。同年12月6日舞剧在彼得堡首演。 这部作品是柴科夫斯基三部芭蕾舞剧代表作品之一，也是世界舞蹈舞台上久演不衰的舞剧精品之一。
舞剧的音乐充满了单纯而神秘的神话色彩， 具有强烈的儿童音乐特色。 剧情大致为：圣诞节，女孩玛丽得到一只胡桃夹子。夜晚，她梦见这胡桃夹子变成了一位王子，领着她的一群玩具同老鼠兵作战。后来又把她带到果酱山，受到糖果仙子的欢迎，享受了一次玩具、舞蹈和盛宴的快乐。
舞剧音乐中最为著名的是《花之圆舞曲》，选自舞剧第二幕中糖果仙子与众仙女群舞时的音乐，经常单独演出。竖琴的华丽流畅的序奏之后，圆号以重奏形式奏出圆舞曲主题，旋律如歌，表现出糖果仙子与仙女们轻盈婀娜的舞姿，在单簧管相呼应的独奏之后，乐曲的主题抒情而优美（片段1）。
《进行曲》选自舞剧第一幕第一场中孩子们登场时的音乐。这段音乐兼有进行曲和双拍子舞曲的特点，轻快活泼的旋律生动描绘了孩子们吹着小喇叭，昂首挺胸，神气十足的神态，同时也表现了孩子们活泼敏捷的特色（片段2）。
《特列帕克舞曲》选自舞剧第二幕中糖果仙子的盛大宴会中的音乐，是一首双拍子的俄罗斯舞曲，情绪欢快奔放，力度变化激烈，节奏动力感极强，音调带有浓厚的乡土气息和鲜明的民族色彩，整个舞曲洋溢着兴奋奔放的情绪（片段3）。
《芦笛舞曲》也是选自舞剧第二幕中糖果仙子的盛大宴会中的音乐，音乐用长笛代替芦笛，以长笛三重奏的形式展开主题，节奏轻快而带有诙谐的色彩，主题愉快活泼,宛若一首清新宜人的田园晨曲（片段4），这是一首著名的体现长笛特色的音乐。
Source: http://www.hongen.com/art/gdyy/amqbl/ga42311.htm