Nutcracker Suite

The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a is a selection of 8 musical numbers Tchaikovsky made from The Nutcracker ballet for a concert performance before the St. Petersburg branch of the Musical Society on March 19, 1892.[1] Every number was acclaimed and repeated, and the suite became an instant hit.[2] The complete ballet was first performed on December 17, 1892. It was not a success. It did not gain any popularity until George Balanchine staged a production in New York City.[3] The suite however was very popular in concert. It was featured in Disney's Fantasia. The Nutcracker Suite should not be mistaken for the complete ballet.

Tchaikovsky in 1893

The numbers chosen by Tchaikovsky for The Nutcracker Suite and their sequence within the suite are as follows:

I. Miniature 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

References
  1. Alexander Poznansky, Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man, p. 544
  2. "Full text of "Men Of Music Their Lives Times And Achievements"". Archive.org. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  3. "The Nutcracker Profile: The History of The Nutcracker". Classicalmusic.about.com. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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