In Europe and the U. The Christmas ballet was first performed outside Russia in England in Its first United States performance was in by the San Francisco Ballet, staged by its artistic director and Balanchine student Willam Christensen.
The now well known Christmas story has been published in many book versions including colorful children-friendly ones. The plot revolves around a German girl named Clara Stahlbaum and her coming-of-age one Christmas holiday. In the Great Russian Nutcracker , she is affectionately called Masha. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.
Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Treva Bedinghaus. Treva L. Bedinghaus is a former competitive dancer who has studied ballet, tap, and jazz. She writes about dance styles and practices and the history of dance. Updated December 06, Featured Video. Synopsis of Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker' Ballet. The History of 'The Nutcracker March'. I know that it is unappealing to you. You are an exceptionally kind soul for not refusing me" [13]. It is not possible to establish the exact date on which work on the sketches was begun.
I want to pass on to you some ideas for the ballet, which do not fit in with Petipa 's scheme. He is what the French call vieu jeu [16]. All the solos and variations he devised for the first act, would be of little interest to the public. You need now only to compose great dances, and not for dancers, and all those variations The arrangement of the sketches allows us to infer the order in which the music was written—the composer adhered to the essence Marius Petipa 's plan, indicating any deviations from it in his notebook.
Bon voyage, M. Dumolet", the latter being the title of a humorous 18th century French song, subsequently used in the music for this number. But the composer did not write the music for this scene straight away, noting down only a few sketches eventually used for the gallop, beside the note: "This is the start of the coda, composed during a stroll in Piter [Petersburg]".
Omitting the Grossvater , Tchaikovsky wrote in his sketch book: "Talk to Petipa regarding the Grossvater, how many times it should be repeated, and whether it should be varied, and have Jurgenson obtain the [musical] notes". There is a second note, apparently made later: " Grossvater — see the end of the copybook after everything else".
Beside one of the sketches for No. Send them, if you please, to Frolovskoye without delay. And also send notes , explaining how the children's instruments should be played" [20]. I think that by the time I leave a considerable part of the first act will have been done" [22].
Indeed, he omitted the battle scene between the mice and toys, and start of the second scene of Act I—depicting the forest at night—and instead the composer went on to the Waltz of the Snowflakes. After this he wrote: "Return to No. On the day of his departure from Saint Petersburg , the composer discussed the ballet with Marius Petipa [23].
It seems that at this meeting the outline scenario for Act II was finalised. In any case, the balletmaster's plan of this act was sent to Tchaikovsky only while he was abroad. On the copy of the manuscript of the plan is Petipa 's note: "This was sent on 9 March [O.
Tchaikovsky in Paris " [24]. Work on the ballet continued during his journey: "I will try to work on the boat. It has not been established whether Tchaikovsky composed anything on his way to Berlin. This date, together with the note " Rouen " was made by the composer on the inside front cover of his notebook, which on its first pages contains sketches for the opening of the second scene of Act I [28].
I came to Rouen in order to work a little. And I have been here nearly a week, working all hours; two days remain before I sail for America.
In this time I will have prepared the sketches for the first two scenes of the ballet. But the question is, when will I be able to do the rest?
Tchaikovsky then asked Vsevolozhsky whether the productions of the ballet and opera could be postponed until the next season: "I could complete my voyage to America without the torments, the doubts, and the fears; return home calm and rested from any conceivable traumas experienced in Paris and America, and enjoy working little by little, confident that I will be writing two masterpieces pardon my immodesty " [30].
On the same day, Tchaikovsky wrote of this to his brother Modest [31]. Ivan Vsevolozhsky agreed to postpone the ballet and the opera, and further work on the ballet was only resumed after Tchaikovsky's return from America, in Maydanovo at the end of May Now I have started to work" [34].
Letters to various correspondents during June refer to work on the ballet. On the same day he wrote to Praskovya Tchaikovskaya : "Work is proceeding intensively, and I'm glad that my travels are over" [37].
There are unexpected distractions" [38]. It turned out that I only just managed it in 2 weeks. The old man is evidently declining. Not only is his hair thinning and turning silver as snow, not only are his teeth falling out and refusing to chew food, not only are his eyes weakening and becoming easily tired, not only are his feet starting to drag rather than walk—but his singular remaining faculty is starting to fade and disappear. The ballet is infinitely worse that " The Sleeping Beauty "—of this I'm sure.
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