The Nutcracker

‘The Nutcracker’ is the last and most successful work by the composer Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky. The plot of the ballet is based on the fantastical tale ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. Tchaikovsky was familiar with the fairy tale in the version by Alexandre Dumas, which was very popular in Russia, and decided to adapt it into a ballet. Today, the ballet *The Nutcracker* is regarded as the quintessential Christmas classic.

The story of a young girl who is given a nutcracker as a present and dreams of him turning into a fairy-tale prince captivates young and old alike all over the world. For a few hours, you are whisked away from everyday life into the romantic and imaginative world of dreams and longings.

The premiere of the ballet *The Nutcracker* took place at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in December 1892. The choreography was devised by Marius Petipa, a highly influential ballet guru of his time. His deputy, Lev Ivanov, was responsible for staging the production, and had to contend not only with Petipa but also with the composer Tchaikovsky over various differences of interpretation. Yet the effort was well worth it. A few years later, the Dance of the Snowflakes, staged by Ivanov, was regarded as a masterpiece of ballet, and the finest ballerinas were desperate to dance the role of the Snow Queen.